From time to time, there are reports of suspicious behaviour around schools in the periods just before school begins and just after it finishes. This is the time when children are travelling to or home from school. These reports remind us all of how important it is to have satisfactory arrangements in place for the care of children before and after school and for safe travel between home and school. It is equally important for children to know what those arrangements are and to understand they need to comply with those arrangements at all times.
The school asks parents / carers to review the after-school arrangements that are in place for their child(ren) and ensure they provide a reliable level of safety.
The school strongly recommends the following.
- Students arrive at school each day after playground supervision begins at 8:30 am unless they are enrolled in before school care or a supervised before school activity.
- When students arrive they go directly to the quadrangle and stay there until bell time. All other areas of the school, including buildings are out of bounds.
- If students are enrolled in before school care or participating in a supervised before school activity they go directly to the OSHC Centre or the place where the before school activity takes place.
- Students who walk to and from school do so in groups and leave the grounds promptly after dismissal and go straight home. Students travelling by bus or train also leave the grounds promptly after dismissal and go directly to the bus stop or train station.
- Parents are on time for pick up each day and do not rely on their children waiting in unsupervised parts of the school or outside the school grounds until the parents can get here. This practice happens and it is clearly unsafe.
- If parents cannot be here routinely by 3 pm when lessons finish, children are enrolled in one of the after school centres or an after school activity. Alternatively, parents / carers arrange for their children to be picked up by someone who can be here reliably at 3 pm each day.
- If parents / carers linger in the school grounds after school, it is essential to actively supervise their child / children and this needs to be out of the back playground which is dedicated OSHC space.
We also request that parents/carers reinforce the stranger danger message with their children and revise the NO-GO-TELL strategy (Say NO, GO and TELL an adult). It is important this is done in a way that informs children about what to do but does not alarm them unduly. Such incidents are rare and children generally respond appropriately because they know what to do.
Thank you for working with us to safeguard the children.