29 March 2021

Policy Review Report - Health and Safety

Notes

• 1. This is a “Business as Usual” Policy Review Report.

  2. Because of the unique Health and Safety concerns that arose from Covid-19 in 2020 a “Covid-19 Special Policy Review Report - Health and Safety” was received by the board on 9 June 2020. 

Section of Operations Policy Being Reviewed:

Health and Safety

Students and staff shall have a safe physical and emotional learning environment. Therefore, the principal shall not fail to:

• • Take all reasonable steps to protect students, staff and visitors to the school from unsafe or unhealthy conditions

  • Ensure there is zero tolerance to bullying

  • Ensure there are effective processes in place for dealing with bullying

  • Comply with the provisions of the  Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

  • Provide a smoke free environment

  • Ensure a risk analysis management system (RAMS) is carried out where and when appropriate

  • Seek approval for all overnight stays/camps attesting first to their compliance with the Risk Analysis Management requirement above

  • Consult with the community every two years regarding the health programme being delivered to students

  • Provide privacy of personal documentation held at the school

  • Advise the board chair of any emergency situations as soon as possible

Section by Section Review

 "...the principal shall not fail to:...

• • Take all reasonable steps to protect students, staff and visitors to the school from unsafe or unhealthy conditions"

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that the board expects me to ensure all legal requirements with regard to the health and safety of students, staff and visitors are complied with, and that there is a commonsense approach embraced by all staff members that ensures that students are healthy and safe.

  • Note that the health and safety of staff is also covered in the Personnel section of the Operations Policy.

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • There is a comprehensive Health and Safety section in the online staff Handbook.

  • These procedures were reviewed with staff in March 2021.

  • Some minor details have been tidied up but there are no areas of concern.

Trial Evacuations and Lockdowns

• • Trial Evacuation and Lockdown practices are carried out every term. 

  • We are required to notify Fire and Emergency New Zealand of a Trial Evacuation every 6 months.

  • The normal cycle of  Trial Evacuation and Lockdown practices was interrupted by COVID-19.

    • Trial Evacuation practice was completed on 4 August 2020 and 23 March.

    • Lockdown practice was completed on 29 October.

 "...the principal shall not fail to:...

• • Ensure there is zero tolerance to bullying 

  • Ensure there are effective processes in place for dealing with bullying

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that the board expects me to ensure that bullying is not tolerated in the school, and that in the event that there is an incident of bullying the procedures are followed so that the bullying does not continue and the negative effects are minimised.

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • Bullying does happen, and is certainly dealt with, usually by the Principal

  • Teachers record behaviour and bullying incidents in the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) section of the student management system (Etap).

  • Reports are automatically emailed to the Principal and if the teacher hasn’t already followed up the Principal will either delegate follow up or follow up as appropriate

  • Follow up may include - a phone call, a text, an email, a face to face meeting, a whanau hui, a referral to an agency or to our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO=Kaz).

  • Positive Behaviour For Learning (PB4L) Summary Report 2020.

 "...the principal shall not fail to:...

• • Comply with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that the board expects me to ensure that the board,  as a responsible employer, meets all of its legal requirements under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • There is a comprehensive Health and Safety section in the online staff Handbook that covers the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015...

  • Staff completed  a line by line review of the Health and Safety procedures in March 2021.

  • Some minor details have been tidied up but there are no areas of concern..

 "...the principal shall not fail to:...

• • Provide a smoke free environment"

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that the board expects me to ensure that we comply with smokefree law.

  • The Smoke-free environments act 1990 requires that the "managers of school premises ... must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that

(a) no person smokes in any part of the premises (whether an internal area or an open area) at any time on any day; and

(b) a notice stating that smoking within the premises is forbidden at all times is prominently displayed at or immediately inside-

(i) every entrance to the premises; and

(ii) every outer entrance to every building or enclosed area forming part of the premises."

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • Many of the Smokefree signs on doorways are faded or missing

  • From 11 May 2021, all schools, early childhood education facilities and care centres must, in addition to the existing requirement to display ‘no smoking’ notices, display 'no vaping' notices. Updated signs including “No Vaping” are not yet available. 

  • Signs that meet the requirements will be displayed once they become available.

 "...the principal shall not fail to:...

• • Ensure a risk analysis management system (RAMS) is carried out where and when appropriate

  • Seek approval for all overnight stays/camps attesting first to their compliance with the Risk Analysis Management requirement above

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that I ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that staff and students are safe when they go on school trips.

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • The Education Outside the Classroom section of the online Staff Handbook outlines the process that staff follow whenever they take students away from the school environment.

  • There have been no incidents of concern.

 "...the principal shall not fail to:...

• • Consult with the community every two years regarding the health programme being delivered to students

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • This was completed in December 2019 and is the subject of a separate report

"...the principal shall not fail to:...

• • Provide privacy of personal documentation held at school

Data to Verify that this requirement has been Fulfilled

• • As the designated Privacy Officer I ensure that the school complies with the principles of the Privacy Act.

  • No privacy issues or enquiries have arisen since the last report (November 2019).

"...the principal shall not fail to:...

• • Advise the board chair of any emergency situations as soon as possible

Data to Verify that this requirement has been Fulfilled

• • The principal ensured that the board chair was aware of the various unique situations that arose from Covid-19.

Recommendations

• 1. That the board notes that, as “officers”, board members have a duty to be aware of Health and Safety issues at the school and to ensure that the school meets the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.