Outdoor education safety training for schools

Schools are to be offered new training in how to keep their students safe for outdoor education programmes, Education Minister Trevor Mallard announced today.

From the end of July, the Ministry of Education is making a new professional development package available to schools which is designed to support the implementation of the Ministry’s new resource Safety and EOTC - A good practice guide for New Zealand schools.

“Both the good practice guide, which was released at the end of last year, and the professional development package are designed to help schools meet statutory and best practice requirements relating to safety in Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC) programmes,” Trevor Mallard said.

“About $720,000 has been made available for producing and delivering the professional development package.

“Outdoor education has played a valuable role in enhancing the curriculum in New Zealand schools for many years. We now have a professional development package to help schools ensure that student learning outside the classroom is as safe as possible.”

The training will be rolled out over the next two years to clusters of 10-15 schools across the country. Training is targeted at the principal, a board member and the EOTC co-ordinator at each school.

The training will be carried out by a consortium led by the University of Waikato School of Education, and made up of school advisors, teachers and outdoor sector groups.

Safety and EOTC - A good practice guide for New Zealand schools is available on the Ministry of Education’s website http:// http://www.minedu.govt.nz

© Scoop Media