1. Purpose

To provide a safe and secure learning and teaching environment for students and staff by establishing processes to monitor and manage visitors to Princes Hill Secondary College.

2. Policy Statement

This policy outlines our school’s arrangements for visitors who attend school grounds when the school is open for instruction between the hours of 8 am and 4:30 pm Monday to Friday including parents, carers, contractors and trades persons. Outside of these times, our front office is not staffed and this policy does not apply.

Princes Hill Secondary College strives to create an open and inclusive school community, and encourages parents and carers to be actively involved in their child’s development and education. We also strive to foster strong partnerships with local community services, schools and other organisations.

Princes Hill Secondary College is not a public place. The principal has the authority to permit or deny entry to school grounds, and encourages all visitors to familiarise themselves with our school’s Values, Philosophy and Vision, Child Safety Policy, Child Safety Code of Conduct and Volunteers Policy.

3. Implementation

From time to time, different members of the public may visit our school. Visitors may include, but are not limited to:

• Parents and Carers
• Volunteers
• Prospective parents, students and employees
• Invited speakers, sessional instructors and others addressing learning and development
• Public officials (e.g. Members of Parliament, local councillors)
• Persons conducting business e.g. uniform suppliers, booksellers, official school photographers, commercial salespeople
• Tradespeople
• Alumni
• Children’s services agencies
• Talent scouts
• Department of Families, Fairness and Housing workers
• Victoria Police
• Persons authorised to enter school premises (e.g. Worksafe inspectors, health officers)
• Other Department of Education and Training staff (including allied health staff) or contractors
• NDIS therapists or other allied health or health practitioners

All visitors to Princes Hill Secondary College are to follow the guidelines set out below.

Sign in Procedure

All visitors to Princes Hill Secondary College, including volunteers, are required to report to the school office on arrival (see exceptions below in relation to parents/carers). Visitors must:

• Record their name, date, time of visit, person they are visiting and purpose of visit on Compass Kiosk.
• Provide proof of identification to office staff upon request.
• Produce evidence of their valid Working with Children Clearance where required by this policy (see below).
• Wear a visitor’s lanyard at all times.
• Follow instruction from school staff and abide by all relevant school policies relating to appropriate conduct on school grounds including eg: Child Safety Code of Conduct, Respect for School Staff as well as Department policies such as the Sexual Harassment Policy and Workplace Bullying Policy.
• Return to the office upon departure, sign out and return visitor’s lanyard.

Princes Hill Secondary College will ensure that our school’s Child Safety Code of Conduct is available and visible to visitors when they sign in.

COVID-19 Vaccination Information

Our school follows Department of Education and Training policy with respect to the requirements relating to attendance on school sites and COVID-19 vaccinations.

For further information, refer to: COVID-19 Vaccinations – Visitors and Volunteers on School Sites

Working with Children Clearance and Other Suitability Checks

For Working with Children (WWC) Check and other suitability check requirements relating to parents/carers and other volunteers working with students please see our Volunteers Policy.

All visitors who are engaged in child-related work (see definition below) must have a valid WWC Clearance. Additional suitability checks may also be required such as reference, proof of identity, qualification and work history involving children checks.

It is at the discretion of the principal as to whether to require a WWC Clearance for those not engaged in child-related work, noting that the Department recommends that visitors have a WWC Clearance if they will be regularly present at the school and/or children can reasonably be expected to be present.

In some circumstances, visitors to Princes Hill Secondary College who are not engaged in child-related work will also be required to produce a valid WWC Clearance depending on the particular circumstances of their visit. For example, Princes Hill Secondary College will require a valid WWC Clearance for:

• Visitors who will be working regularly with children during the time they are visiting, even though direct contact with children is not a central part of their normal duties.
• Visitors (e.g. parents, contractors), who will regularly be performing unsupervised work at the school during school hours or any other time where children are present. Further background checks, including references, may also be requested at the discretion of the principal.

Visitors who will be working in areas away from students (e.g. a visiting auditor who will be located in the front office with administration staff) or who will be supervised and accompanied by a staff member during their visit (e.g. a Member of Parliament, a journalist, a prospective parent on a school tour) will not be required to have a WWC Clearance.

Sworn Victoria Police officers or sworn Australian Federal Police officers are exempt from requiring a WWC Check, but may be asked to verify that they are sworn officers by providing proof of identification.

Invited Speakers and Presenters

On occasion, Princes Hill Secondary College may invite external speakers or providers to deliver incursions, presentations, workshops and special programs for our students. Consistent with Department of Education and Training requirements, Princes Hill Secondary College will:

• ensure that the content of presentations and programs by external providers contributes to the educational development of our students and is consistent with curriculum objectives
• ensure that any proposed visit, programs or content delivered by visitors complies with the requirement that education in Victorian government schools is secular and is consistent with the values of public education, Department policies and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic). In particular, programs delivered by visitors are to be delivered in a manner that supports and promotes the principles and practice of Australian democracy including a commitment to:

• elected government
• the rule of law
• equal rights for all before the law
• freedom of religion, speech and association
• the values of openness and tolerance
• respect for the range of views held by students and their families

Parent Visitors

We understand that there may occasionally be a reason why a parent or carer may want to speak to or see their child at school, during school hours.

If there is a particular pressing or unavoidable issue that cannot wait until the end of the school day, we ask that parents or carers call the school office to make the request to speak to or see their child during school hours.

We also ask that parents avoid arranging to visit their children at school wherever possible, as this can cause inappropriate disruptions to the school day.

All parents or carers who visit our school during school hours, other than for the purposes of school pick ups and drop offs or for specific school events (eg parent teacher interviews, concerts, assemblies etc), are required to sign in as a visitor at the school office if they are to proceed beyond reception.

Parents or carers who are prohibited from entering the school under a court order or direction of the Principal are not permitted to visit the school. Our school maintains and provides office staff with a list of restricted parents/carers which may include identifying photographs and any other information as required depending on the level of risk posed. Persons on the restricted list may contact an Assistant Principal to make special school contact arrangements.

Other Visitors

All business operators, tradespeople and other visitors attending the school to conduct work must report to the school office upon arrival for instruction and follow the sign in procedure outlined above.

4. Evaluation & Review

This policy will be reviewed every 2 years.

5. Definitions

Child-Related Work - As defined by the Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic), child-related work is work that usually involves direct contact (including in person, over the phone, written and online communication) with a child that is a central part of that person’s duties. It does not include work that involves occasional direct contact with children that is incidental to the work.

Visitor - any person not employed on staff or enrolled for study who enters the college for any legitimate purpose.

6. References

National Police Record Check

Working With Children Check

Child Safe Standards

Visitors in Schools

Contractor OHS Management

Volunteers in Schools Policy

7. Related Policies

Child Safety Policy

Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy

Duty of Care Policy

Volunteers Policy