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EOTC Student Participation and Inclusion

 At St Joseph's School, we support students to participate in EOTC events as part of our commitment to reducing barriers to education for all students and ensuring learning is safe and inclusive. We ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate in EOTC activities, and we take into account individual needs and tailor activities as appropriate. We encourage all students to participate in EOTC using the challenge by choice principle.

Our school has a strong safety culture and we expect students to take reasonable care to ensure their own and others' health and safety. This includes following all relevant school policies, procedures, and instructions when participating in EOTC.

Equitable access

We provide equitable access to EOTC activities by:

• involving students, parents, caregivers, and whānau at relevant stages of EOTC management (e.g. planning, approval, review, and evaluation)
• taking all practicable steps to include students with additional support needs
• taking into consideration cultural and religious diversity
• giving effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi
• ensuring, where possible, that students are not excluded (e.g. financial or additional support reasons)
• encouraging students to ask for support before, during, and/or after an EOTC activity, as needed
• providing alternative learning options for students unable to participate
• seeking support from external organisations, services, and providers, as appropriate, to help us plan and implement inclusive EOTC activities.

Additional supports

If a student requires additional support to successfully participate in an EOTC activity, we consider this in our planning and ensure appropriate support is provided during the event. Additional support areas may include disabilities, physical health and recent injuries, mental health, gender diversity, and/or behaviour management.

To meet individual student needs, we use support plans as appropriate and these are shared with relevant staff members and volunteers. We consult with parents to plan ways to support their child during EOTC activities. This may include identifying and minimising potential risk situations and planning strategies to support the student. We also monitor these students while the EOTC activity is in progress, as needed.

We consider whether we need to include additional staff/volunteers in the supervision structure, and/or use a student buddy system. We assess other needs such as adaptive equipment, accessibility, transportation, and venue/location checks. When assessing bathroom facilities and allocating sleeping spaces for overnight EOTC activities, we consider a range of factors to ensure that student needs are met.

Early return

If a student has an injury or illness that requires them to leave an EOTC event early, the school contacts parents to arrange their return. See EOTC Health and First Aid.

If the behaviour of a student during an EOTC event is unacceptable, they may be sent home. The person in charge of the event must contact the principal before taking any action. The principal informs the parents of the student and discusses arrangements for returning the student. Parents may be liable for the costs of early return. See Behaviour Management.

Related policies

• Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• Learning Support
• EOTC Supervision
• EOTC Transport
• Health Support
• Student Wellbeing and Safety
• Behaviour Management

Legislation

• Education and Training Act 2020
• New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
• Human Rights Act 1993

Resources

• Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga: Inclusive Education
• EONZ: Education Outdoors New Zealand (see Resources for information about camps, menstruation, and rainbow inclusive practices)
• EONZ: EOTC Safety Management Plan and Toolkit (see relevant resources)
  • Individual Ākonga Support Planning Form
  • Ākonga Contract Form
  • Ākonga Health Profile Form
  • Parent/Caregiver Blanket Consent Form
  • Parent/Caregiver Information Letter

Release history: Term 4 2025, Term 1 2024

Topic Number: 51078	Last Modified Date: 20/11/2025 16:21:04
Topic Version: 1	Published Date: 30/01/2026