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Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)

At St Joseph's School, our education outside the classroom (EOTC) programme includes all events that occur outside the classroom, both on- and off-site, including all curriculum-based activities (e.g. field trips and camps) and extra-curricular activities (e.g. voluntary sports or cultural events). As well as carrying out our own EOTC activities, our school participates Enriching Local Curriculum (ELC) visits.

Effective teaching and learning

Our EOTC activities support and enhance the delivery of the curriculum, and benefit students in a variety of ways. To make EOTC effective and inclusive, we:

• provide equitable access to EOTC events – see EOTC Student Participation and Inclusion
• provide alternative learning situations for students unable to participate
• liaise with local early childhood centres and with receiving schools, where appropriate, so that EOTC programmes are coordinated
• ensure adequate ongoing training for all staff involved in EOTC (e.g. approved workshops, seminars, courses, training, and assessment schemes).

See Curriculum and Student Achievement Policy.

EOTC safe practice

At St Joseph's School, we acknowledge the health and safety responsibilities of our board and teachers for everyone participating in EOTC activities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and Education and Training Act 2020. As such, safety and risk management is an essential part of our EOTC programme. We follow Ministry of Education EOTC Guidelines for safety, planning, supervision, legal responsibilities, good practice, and emergency preparedness.

• EOTC operates within our wider school health and safety systems. All school health and safety policies apply to EOTC activities – see Health, Safety, and Welfare Policy.
• Other school policies also apply to EOTC (e.g. privacy, safety checking, concerns and complaints, volunteer involvement, staff conduct).
• The board, which includes the principal, is responsible for the safety of all students and others involved in EOTC activities – see EOTC Governance Roles and Responsibilities.
• The principal (or their delegate) is responsible for managing the safe implementation of our EOTC programme – EOTC Management and Support Roles.
• External providers and/or contractors may be used to support the delivery of our EOTC programme. When there is more than one PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) involved (e.g. outdoor education provider, another school board, transport provider), we coordinate to ensure that health and safety responsibilities, including risk management, are met. See EOTC External Providers and Contractors.
• All staff involved in an EOTC activity must have the necessary information and competence (skills, knowledge, experience), or be adequately supervised, so that they can safely perform their role – see EOTC Staff Competence.
• All students are supported to participate in EOTC activities – see EOTC Student Participation and Inclusion.
• All EOTC events are subject to safety planning and approval processes – see EOTC Event Planning and Approval.
• Review of our EOTC processes helps us improve our practices – see EOTC Review, Evaluation, and Reporting.

EOTC safety actions

At St Joseph's School, we improve our EOTC health and safety systems and practices through regular and ongoing safety actions:

• induction for new staff – see Health and Safety Induction and Training
• training and professional development for staff (e.g. EOTC processes, first aid) – see EOTC Staff Competence
• regular safety communication (e.g. health and safety agenda items, safety briefings) – see Worker Engagement, Participation, and Representation
• keeping an inventory of EOTC events held during the year along with associated staffing and supervision requirements – see EOTC Staff Competence
• practising emergency responses in an EOTC context (e.g. scenario training) – see EOTC Contingency and Emergency Planning
• equipment checks
• safety reviews – see EOTC Review, Evaluation, and Reporting.

EOTC safety planning and risk assessment documentation

St Joseph's School uses a range of planning and risk assessment documentation and tools to manage EOTC safely (see EOTC Risk Assessment and Management). We are guided by the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, Ministry of Education EOTC Guidelines, the EONZ Safety Management Plan template and EOTC Toolkit, our school health and safety policies, and other relevant school policies.

Our documentation and tools help identify the possible risks and hazards involved in an activity, and the steps taken to minimise them. These processes ensure we use appropriate safety strategies and supervision structures, and that the proposed activity is suitable for the intended participants. We may develop a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that can be used to provide a consistent approach for recurring events.

We continuously improve our safety planning and risk assessment documentation, which includes regular review. See EOTC Review, Evaluation, and Reporting.

Our school's EOTC forms are available to staff on our Google Drive in the EOTC trips folder.

St Joseph's School may use safety documentation from an external provider/contractor as long as it is reviewed and adjusted to meet student and school needs, the environmental situation, and any other relevant factors.

Related policies

• Curriculum and Student Achievement Policy
• School Planning and Reporting

Legislation

• Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
• Education and Training Act 2020
• Children's Act 2014
• Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
• Accident Compensation Act 2001

Resources

• TKI | Te Kete Ipurangi: EOTC Guidelines
• TKI | Te Kete Ipurangi: Enriching Local Curriculum
• EONZ: EOTC Safety Management Plan and Toolkit (see EOTC Safety Management Plan template – "Planning for Safety" and "Maintenance and Review of EOTC Safety Management Plan")
• Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga: Health and Safety at Work Act 2015: A practical guide for boards of trustees and school leaders
• SupportAdventure: Good Practice
• Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand: Our Code, Our Standards
• Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa: education Learning Management System (search EOTC for training modules)
• EONZ: EOTC Safety Management Plan and Toolkit (see relevant resources)
  • EOTC Coordinator Toolkit - Staff Induction Checklist
  • Event Review Form

Hei mihi | Acknowledgement SchoolDocs acknowledges Education Outdoors New Zealand (EONZ) for use of content from its EOTC Safety Management Plan (SMP) template. The SMP template, together with the forms from the EOTC Guidelines Toolkit, provides a comprehensive framework for EOTC policies and procedures. EOTC coordinators are encouraged to register with the EOTC Coordinator Network – see EOTC Coordinator Network .

Release history: Term 4 2025, Term 1 2024, Term 3 2019, Term 1 2019

Topic Number: 26083	Last Modified Date: 20/11/2025 16:02:29
Topic Version: 1	Published Date: 30/01/2026

In This Section EOTC Governance Roles and Responsibilities EOTC Management and Support Roles EOTC External Providers and Contractors EOTC Staff Competence EOTC Student Participation and Inclusion EOTC Event Planning and Approval EOTC Review, Evaluation, and Reporting