Policies

School Policies

Department of Education Policies

All schools in Victoria must adhere to the minimum standards and other requirements for a school to be registered. The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) was established under The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 and provides the principles on which school education in Victoria is to be based. Registration Requirements include School Governance, Enrolment, Curriculum and Student Learning, Student Welfare, Discipline, Attendance Monitoring, Staff Employment, School Infrastructure and School Performance.

Emergency contact details

It is essential that the information on these forms is accurate, as they are needed when a child is ill. To update information a new form is issued each year. Please fill in the form and return it promptly to the school. If there is a change of address, telephone number or emergency contacts during the year, please advise the school immediately.

Attendance and sickness

It is an expectation that your child attend school each day. Some absences are impossible to avoid. Genuine illness, bereavement etc, are examples of acceptable reasons for a student being absent. However, every time a child is late for school or absent from school, the student’s learning progress is disrupted. Most teaching is sequential – what is taught and learned today is a foundation which helps students to understand and master what is taught tomorrow.

Safety

Does your child know his/her own name, address and possibly their telephone number well enough to repeat it when necessary?

Train you child in good traffic habits. Show him/her the safest way to school and how to use the various crossings correctly. Your own example in using the traffic lights outside the school is most important to your child.

Warn your child not to leave the school grounds during the day and not to accept lifts in cars from strangers.Take care that your child does not bring articles to school which may cause accidents, e.g. Glass containers, toy or articles with jagged edges or sharp points, pocket knives, fireworks, toy guns, bows and arrows etc.

Lost property

Label all clothes, together with things like lunch boxes and school bags. Lost property is located in the front office in the main building. If belongings are lost at school, please ask about them the following day.

Car Park

Please obey the parking restrictions and speed limits around the school.

School hours

SWSC is open from 8:15am until 4:00pm. Please note that the school grounds will be supervised from 8:40am until 2:55pm.

Students on school grounds outside these hours will not be supervised.

Child Safety

In 2016 the Victorian Government released Child Safety guidelines for schools as a result of government inquiries into institutional child abuse. These guidelines make clear expectations for schools with regard to visitors and access. If you are visiting the school on a school day between the hours of 8.15am and 4pm you must sign in at the front office and be accompanied by a member of staff while you are in the school and on school grounds at all times. No parent, under any circumstances is to enter the school buildings or the grounds without reporting to the front office first.

As valuable partners in promoting and maintaining child safety and wellbeing at Springside West Secondary College we welcome and encourage your feedback. If you have any suggestions, comments or questions in relation to our child safe policies and practices, please contact the college principal, John Goodman, at john.goodman@education.vic.gov.au.