Supervision of Pupils

Supervision of pupils

Senior School

1. Policy Statement

The supervision of pupils is taken seriously, whether in the classroom, on the playing field, in the playground, in transit to and from Nursery Road or on a trip at home or abroad.

1.1 Scope

This policy applies to all staff at the school and should be read with the school's Staff Code of Conduct and staff job descriptions. 

1.2 Publication

This policy is provided to all staff in the Staff Handbook available on firefly. 

1.3 Policy aims

Through this policy we aim to:

• protect the health and safety of pupils at the school; and
• ensure that staff at the school are aware of how staff are deployed to ensure the proper supervision of pupils. 

2. Responsibility

All members of staff are responsible on a day to day basis for ensuring that pupils at the School are safe. Schools are under a general duty to supervise pupils to the standard of a prudent or careful parent. 

3. General Supervision 

All of the Senior School Curriculum is delivered and supervised by fully-qualified teachers, coaches and trainers, in accordance with GDST policy.

The school week comprises 26 hours, 15 minutes. Within this, Y12 & 13 have Private Study time; Y12 & 13 have more freedom to use different spaces (e.g. Library, 6^th Form Reading Room, 6^th Form House rooms) and have exeat privileges to study off-site.

Cover for Staff Absence

Cover lists are displayed in the staff room and must be checked at least twice daily. If a member of staff needs emergency cover in the course of the school day, the Senior Deputy Head or Cover Assistant will endeavour to speak personally to the cover staff.

In the case of foreseeable absence, all staff obtain permission from the Head (and the Head of Juniors if appropriate) via the Absence form, alert their line manager/Head of Department as appropriate and if necessary, discuss arrangements with the Senior Deputy Head in advance.

Staff should note that with the exception of Sixth Form which can be covered on request, lessons will automatically be covered when absent.

Cover must be requested for duties missed, as well as lessons.

Younger students may have study periods (e.g. if taking a smaller number of GCSEs) and for these they should go to the library. The Senior Deputy Head will use SIMs to inform the Librarian, who, in turn, will inform the Head of Year of absences via Lesson Monitor.

Staff Duties (outside lesson times, but between 8.15 and 4.15):

Tour the school, paying particular attention to locker areas and form rooms, ensuring that behaviour is restrained and appropriate, and that girls move to registration at 8.35 (8.30 Mon) and 14.25. In light of the building works, ensure that the flow of people is working well and that girls are using correct exits and entrances. 

Breaktime supervision

At breaktime there will always be three members of staff on duty to: 

Supervise the dining hall, actively managing the queue, ensuring that girls are paying and not pushing in and that the facility is left clear and tidy. Any queue jumping results in being sent to the back of the queue in the first instance or by being required to leave if misbehaviour persists. There is also be a member of SMT on duty in the dining hall to assist.

Check Main Building, paying particular attention to the lower ground floor including cloakrooms and the music rooms (see below).

Check Lewis and Piper Houses paying particular attention to cloakrooms.

Lunchtime duties

One member of staff on duty in the dining hall for each of the two lunchtime sessions, supervising behaviour and ensuring good order, as for break time duty.

One member of staff on duty in Main Building, as for break time duty.

One member of staff on duty in Lewis and Piper Houses as for break time duty and in Sixth Form House applying the special rules that are relevant there (see below).

One member of staff on duty outside in The ‘Pit’ and in and around the Hastings Centre, ensuring that no food is taken in (or out) and that the green areas are respected – to assist those on duty inside during wet weather.

There is also a member of SMT on duty to assist throughout. 

After school duties

One member of staff ensuring girls leave the premises, paying particular attention to locker rooms.

Outside the 8.15 to 4.15 envelope:

The Consent Form signed by parents makes it clear that there is no specific provision for supervision before 8.15 and after 4.15, although there are always teaching staff at school from before 7.00am until after 7.00pm, as well as a receptionist and a member of SMT available until 7pm each day. Girls may go to their form rooms from 8.00am. Girls required to stay for activities after school (e.g. sports practices that start later than 4.15) may remain in school, provided they sign in with the staff member running that activity. Other girls staying in school should sign in at Reception. All activities and clubs are registered on SOCs. 

After School Provision:

4.30 to 6.00pm Monday - Thursday

Library Use: Librarian present until 4:30 thereafter laptops are locked away. When the Librarian leaves, girls are permitted to remain in the library for quiet study until 6.00pm, provided they have signed in at Reception, but must be in a minimum of 3.  

By 4.30 every student should have:

1. vacated the premises, or
2. be in a supervised activity with a member of staff, or
3. have signed in at Reception clearly stating where they will be

Sixth Form girls may work in the Sixth Form House or the Library, but must be in a minimum group of 3.

Girls attending an activity, Late Stay or working in Sixth Form House or the Library, must take all belongings with them to the start of the session, so that they leave school from the relevant room, not returning to either their locker or Form Room.

Girls may not stay in school after 4.30pm on Fridays, unless under direct supervision of a member of staff.

Off-Site, but Local

Wimbledon High School works on a split site with the playing fields at Nursery Road hosting games activities and athletics. These sporting facilities are used by the whole school.

Annually, the parents in the senior school sign a consent form to give confirmation they agree to allow their daughters to walk down to NR unsupervised by staff. All highway crossings and other potential hazards are risk assessed. 

Nursery Road is a 10 minute walk from the main school site. The PE department brief the students in their first lessons of PE in Year 7 and follow the guidelines as stated in the ‘walking to Nursery Road’ risk assessment. Students are escorted down to NR by PE staff in Year 7&8; in Years 9-13 students depart Mansel Road when the lesson bell rings and are expected to walk down to PE lessons in a minimum group of four people. Students are given a thorough outline of what to do in case of an emergency, if they are approached by an undesirable person, the route they should take and what to do if they usually have their lesson at NR but cannot make it there for a particular reason. Junior school girls walk to Nursery road supervised by teaching staff.

Once at NR, the students are met by PE staff who take the register. If there are any students missing and they have been in school until that point, the PE teacher will phone school reception to begin an investigation process. Should the student not be found, the missing student policy will be followed.

Students are supervised whilst changing at Nursery Road. 

Trips& Visits:

All extra-curricular trips are subject to clear policy, procedures and risk assessments. Registration is taken before departure and at key points during the trip. For all school visits, or off-site activity, a school phone is provided, there is a designated safeguarding officer on call and a member of SMT on call.

On any school organised visit which takes place off site, staff must wait with the pupils until all have been collected by parents or other arrangements fulfilled as arranged beforehand. 

Ratios for trips (including away fixtures) are as follows

Senior school

Day trip 1:20

Residential trip 1:10

Junior School

Day & residential trips

Years 4-6 1:10

Reception – Year 3 1:6 (for residential trips centre staff are in addition)

The school's robust letting procedures ensure that appropriate staff:child ratios are adhered to for all activities run by third parties on site. 

If remote supervision is deemed appropriate for certain activities, parental permission must be obtained and students fully briefed on their boundaries

It will be ensured that arrangements are in place for students who have any concerns about their host family, to contact a responsible adult.