Schools must consider age, maturity and skill level of students when planning curriculum activities. Ensure participants' current level of confidence and skills in the water have been tested. Consult the sequence of competency found in the
water safety and swimming education program for guidance at each year/band level.
Adjustments are required for
students with disability to support access and participation in the curriculum. Consult with the parents/carers of students with disability or, when appropriate, the student to ensure risks related to their child's participation in the activity are identified and managed.
Schools must consult current student medical information and/or health plans in accordance with the
managing students' health support needs at school procedure. Record information about any student condition (e.g. physical or medical, such as
epilepsy) that may inhibit safe engagement in the activity and include specific support measures within emergency procedures.
For activities with students with a medical condition or disability that may impact on safety during the activity, consultation with parents is required prior to allocating supervision to determine the impact of students' medical condition or disability on safety during the activity.
For participants with known allergies, schools must comply with the
supporting students with asthma and/or at risk of anaphylaxis at school procedure and the school's
anaphylaxis risk management plan (DOCX, 159KB), including an adult supervisor of the activity with
anaphylaxis training.
Emergency plans and injury management procedures must be established for foreseeable incidents (e.g. separation from group, shark sighting raising alarm, rescue process, provision of CPR and
first aid) and incorporate the advice from local authorities, for example, location of automated external defibrillator (AED), position and location of lifeguard.
Adult supervisors must have:
- emergency contact details of all participants
- a medical alert list and a process for administering student medication
- communication equipment in a waterproof container suitable to conditions (e.g. mobile, air horn) and a process for obtaining external assistance and/or receiving emergency advice.
Safety procedures must be determined for the location (e.g. buddy system, signal for assistance), and incorporate advice from local authorities and
Surf Life Saving Australia's (SLSA) beachsafe as appropriate.
Ready access is required to buoyant and rescue aids appropriate to the location (e.g. a rescue tube/board).
Access is required to
first aid equipment and consumables suitable for foreseeable incidents.
Induction is required for all adult supervisors on emergency procedures (e.g. hand up for assistance, raising alarm, rescue process), safety procedures (e.g. active and direct supervision for each supervisory role), and correct techniques (e.g. surfing etiquette).
Induction is to be informed by advice provided in consultation with the local authority (e.g. lifeguard service,
marine park managers).
Instruction is required for students on safety procedures (e.g.
water safety and self-rescue skills, clearing the water, assembling in a safe area and providing assistance) and correct techniques (e.g. surfing etiquette), to ensure preliminary water safety knowledge and learning prior to entering the water. Rule-reminders are to be provided throughout the activity.
Parent consent (DOCX, 309KB) is required for all activities conducted
off-site and all
extreme risk level activities conducted onsite. It is
strongly recommended that parent consent is obtained for
high risk level activities conducted on-site.
Supervision
Principals, in consultation with the qualified adults, make final supervision decisions for the activity that considers the local context.
Appropriate adult supervision must be provided to manage the activity safely (i.e. prevent an incident from occurring and manage an incident if one were to occur, including managing emergency situations). At no time should students be relied upon to recover a person in difficulty. The principal must give active consideration to the minimum standards set in the CARA guideline for the activity, the CARA planner and the risk assessment when determining the appropriate level of supervision.
See
number of adult supervisors below.
Prepare a supervision plan to prevent drowning that considers the advice provided in this CARA guideline. Consider
Surf Life Saving Australia's (SLSA) beachsafe for support when supervision planning.
Where a lifeguard service is available, schools are to collaborate with the lifeguard on the contents of the CARA record prior to the activity for advice and to address any queries they may have. Note: The presence of a lifeguard service does not absolve the school of any supervision requirements unless secured for the sole purpose of the activity.
Participants must adhere to all rules and advice communicated by the local lifeguard service, facility operator/owner and any safety signage at the facility/location.
Before the activity, all adult supervisors:
- must be familiar with the contents of the CARA record, including the emergency and supervision plans.
During the activity, all adult supervisors:
- must provide active and direct supervision—be constantly vigilant, attentive and rescue ready
- must comply with control measures from the CARA record and adapt as hazards arise
- must
not rely on students to recover a person in difficulty at any time
- must continually monitor emerging surfing conditions (e.g. rips, sweeps, currents, undertows).
The activity must be suspended if the conditions become unfavourable (e.g. hazardous surf or water conditions, thunderstorms, lifeguard warning).
Number of adult supervisors
Principals, in consultation with the qualified adults of the activity, determine the final number of supervisors to fulfil instructional, emergency and supervision roles for the local context that consider
SLSA's Beachsafe, the nature of the activity, students' ages, abilities and specialised learning, access and/or health needs. In some instances, the final supervision ratio may be 1:1.
To support decisions about the number of qualified adults required for the activity, confirmation of student water safety and swimming ability is required prior to participation.
See
frequently asked questions (FAQs) for further support.
The process is determined by the school and must consider the specific aquatic environments in which the activity will take place. Consult the sequence of competency
water safety and swimming education program for support in determining age-appropriate suitability and consider student self-rescue skills in the specific aquatic environment.
- Beginner surfers require a ratio of 1 accredited coach to 6 participants.
- For activities with a class group of students in years 7–12 who are determined to be water-safe in the activity location (e.g.
surf survival certificate), 1 registered teacher may be sufficient to fulfil recovery, emergency and supervision roles for activities. In this situation, students must be inducted to respond correctly in an emergency by clearing the water, assembling in a safe area and providing assistance (e.g. seeking adult help, summoning an ambulance and/or acting in a support role in resuscitation).
Supervisor qualifications
Qualifications support the minimum safety standard for this activity. Principals make final decisions* in determining supervisor capability (competence, relevance and currency) and whether the activity leader meets an appropriate teaching standard.
*See
FAQs for further support.
All adult supervisors must comply with the
working with children authority—blue cards procedure.
Qualified adults for the activity
Recovery/emergency—CPR, first aid, rescue
Adults, including registered teachers, engaged for recovery/emergency are to have
current knowledge, judgement, technique and physical ability to carry out safe water rescues and enact an emergency procedure in an open water environment.
Recovery/emergency ability includes a current qualification or skillset (e.g. Inland Open Water Lifeguard, Certificate III in Sport, Aquatics and Recreation) with the following units of competency or similar.
Supervisors must have CPR and first aid qualifications relevant to the activity. Emergency qualifications may include:
An adult with concussion management knowledge or training is required. Consult
concussion in sport resources.
Surfing education lessons—surfing coach qualification
At least 1 adult supervisor is either:
See
FAQs for further support.
Facilities and equipment
The qualified adult supervisor of the activity, in consultation with the principal, determines the requirements for facilities and equipment appropriate to the local context.
A working emergency signal (e.g. whistle, air horn) must be available.
A process for checking for damage for all equipment used in the activity must be established and employed.
Common hazards and controls
Further to those listed, include any additional hazards and control measures considering the local context of the activity.
Biological hazards
Body fluids (e.g. blood, bowel motions) |
Manage open wounds before, during and after the activity. Consult
infection control guidelines and Queensland Health's
exclusion periods for infectious conditions poster (PDF, 1.4MB) for first aid and hygienic practices
|
Dangerous marine life
(e.g. crocodiles, sharks, stonefish, marine stingers, sea snakes, blue-ringed octopus, cone shells, cyanobacteria, coral—scrapes) |
Check with the local authority (e.g. local government) for the presence of known water contaminants (e.g. blue-green algae) or other marine hazards (e.g. stonefish) at the location.
Look for and obey warnings and/or safety signs.
Follow
Queensland Government dangerous marine life and
Surf Life Saving Queensland marine stinger safety advice.
Marine organisms are not to be handled and contact is to be avoided.
Continually assess threat of dangerous marine life. Immediately move the participants to a safe location if dangerous marine life is detected or suspected
|
|
Debris |
Assess the location for floating debris before each session |
Environmental conditions
Weather, sun, cold |
Assess
weather conditions prior to undertaking the activity, inspecting the intended location in order to identify variable risks, hazards and potential dangers.
Follow the
school's sun safety policy, including appropriate swimwear (e.g. swim shirts), sun protection (e.g. sunscreen) and shade facilities when outside.
Follow the
managing excessive heat in schools guidelines when participating in very hot or extreme heat conditions
|
|
Water temperature |
Manage cooler water temperatures with additional control measures (e.g. shorter in-water time, wetsuits, etc.). Note: Sudden temperature changes may trigger
seizures
|
| Facilities and equipment hazards |
Control measures |
|
Activity location
|
Location must be suitable for the activity being undertaken to ensure safe participation and that safety rules and procedures can be followed. Undertake a reconnaissance of new or infrequently used venues to ascertain suitability.
Assess suitability of surrounds and reach of water when selecting a location. Consider local water conditions and foreseeable hazards such as:
- tidal flow, currents and turbulence
- use by other watercraft and traffic patterns
- water temperature, depth and visibility
- underwater hazards (e.g. rocks and rapids, turbulence from a waterfall).
Continuously monitor conditions for emerging rips, strong currents, turbulence and under tows. Cease activities when environmental warnings have been issued (e.g. local government or lifeguard warning).
A clearly defined surfing area of an appropriate depth considering student age and ability. Consult the
water safety and swimming education program for guidance at each year/band level
|
|
Damaged or faulty equipment |
Check equipment (e.g. boards, leg ropes) for damage and correct fit before and during the activity.
Provide initial instruction in calm water
|
|
Entry/exit points |
Use the designated board riding areas when conducting the activity on patrolled beaches.
Establish appropriate entry and exit points at the water's edge
|
|
Falling equipment |
Tie down and store boards correctly to prevent injury (e.g. when loading/unloading) |
Manual handling
Lifting and carrying equipment |
Use correct
manual handling processes when lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying (e.g. when loading/unloading boards) |
|
Vehicles |
Watch for vehicles when loading boards |
| Student considerations |
Control measures |
|
Injury
|
Students aware of the location of emergency and first-aid equipment
|
|
Physical contact |
Use soft boards and leg ropes for beginners and use nose-cones on boards.
Match equipment to the size, ability and strength of students (e.g. consider use of short and long boards appropriate to experience of surfer and the location)
|
Physical exertion
Exhaustion and fatigue |
Conduct warm-up/cool-down activities.
Continually monitor students for fatigue and exhaustion.
Ensure drink breaks occur regularly
|
|
Student issues
Student numbers, special needs, high risk behaviours, medical conditions, separation from the group
|
Implement procedures (e.g. surfer's out/in logbook) to account for all participants before, during and after the activity.
Limit the number of students in the water when close supervision is required and/or when the water is tending to become overcrowded.
Keep non-participants away from the water and do not cause a distraction.
Each student must provide their own towel
|
|
Swimming attire
Visibility, fabrics
|
All supervisors are to be readily identifiable and be appropriately dressed to perform an immediate rescue at all times.
Students wear fit-for-purpose surfing attire that is highly visible in water and does not cause a hazard (i.e. not too loose or heavy).
Each student must provide their own towel.
Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating
|
Additional links