Visitors
The board of St Joseph's School is responsible for providing a physically and emotionally safe place where risks to health and safety are eliminated or minimised (Education and Training Act 2020, Health and Safety at Work Act 2015). To ensure the safety of everyone, it is important that we are able to identify who is at school, including visitors. We also ensure that the health and safety of visitors to the school is not put at risk from school operations.
Visitors to the school may include parents, caregivers, whānau, prospective students and their whānau, staff from support agencies, people using school property/facilities, and other people on school-related business. We aim to make visitors feel welcome and safe at St Joseph's School.
School responsibilities
Signage around the school directs visitors to report to the office.
To meet health and safety requirements and minimise risk, we:
- have guidelines for how visitors must sign in and out
- provide visitors with appropriate health and safety induction as needed
- identify and manage potential hazards and risks, and communicate these to visitors (including any specific actions to take to stay safe)
- share relevant school policies and procedures, including, but not limited to:
- monitor visitors to the school, and report any behaviour, hazard, or safety concerns to management or administration.
If visitors will have contact with students, we perform appropriate safety checks and police vetting if required. See Safety Checking and Police Vetting.
If someone is on school grounds without permission they will be questioned by a staff member. See Trespasser or Attacker on School Grounds.
Visitors responsibilities
Visitors to the school must comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Visitors must:
- take reasonable care for their own health and safety
- take reasonable care that their behaviour does not adversely affect the health and safety of other people
- comply, as far as they are reasonably able, with any reasonable instruction that is given by the board to allow the board to comply with their legislative and regulatory obligations.
Visitors must report any incidents of accidents, injuries, and illness to the school and are encouraged to raise any concerns about hazards.
All visitors to school are expected to follow relevant school policies and procedures. This includes following school community conduct expectations. See School Community Conduct Expectations.
The following school requirements for visitors help to ensure the safety of everyone at school.
- Visitors must have valid reason to be on school grounds and must make their presence known. All visitors to the site, must report to the school office unless they have a prior arrangement with the school or are dropping off or picking up students.
- If visitors have health needs and they require support, they should make this known to staff.
- Any visitor wishing to speak to a student who is not their child must have the permission of the principal or a delegated representative.
- Visitors must comply with school rules for bringing animals on school grounds.
- Visitor vehicles must not enter areas of the school where students may be present and vehicles would not usually be expected. If it is necessary to access these areas, the visitor/driver must exercise caution. We expect visitors to park safely in an appropriate space.
- In the event of an emergency evacuation, lockdown, or shelter in place, visitors are expected to follow the instructions of school staff.
Visitors are welcome to raise concerns and complaints with the school, if needed. See Raising Concerns and Complaints.
For volunteers visiting the school, also see Volunteer Involvement.
Related policies
Legislation
- Children's Act 2014
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
- Education and Training Act 2020
Resources
- Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga:
: Term 3 2025, Term 4 2024, Term 1 2024, Term 2 2022, Term 1 2022.
The release history is a record of changes made to a SchoolDocs Core topic as the result of an internal or scheduled review. The date indicates when a change was made. If you have a customised topic, it may not have received the updates described. Release history links are kept for five years, then archived.
