Policies and Procedures

Government funding for all students is based upon an audit process that requires individual students to attend more than 90% of the school program. The program includes regular school days, compulsory sport carnivals, camps and excursions. Parents are required to inform the College of every absence and provide reasonable explanations for the absence. The following examples are not accepted by the government as a reasonable excuse for absence:

• Participating in a holiday the duration of which will be more than one whole week of the school term.
• Undertaking leisure/recreational activities during school hours (ie. Shopping, camping, fishing, visiting friends).

Please keep in mind that this applies to a total of 10% or more absences which might be accumulated throughout the year. Parents are required to formally apply to the Principal in writing, in order to take students out of the school program during term time. Requests should be made with due consideration of time required for the supply of educational programs to the student should permission be granted.

If a student does not receive funding due to unreasonable absences, parents may be liable to the College for the lost funding which equates to the same fees

Risk minimisation for onsite school sporting events:

• Staff must know where the adrenaline autoinjector is located and how to access if it required.
• For sporting events, it is appropriate to take the student’s adrenaline autoinjector to the oval. If the weather is warm, the autoinjector should be stored in a cooler to protect it from the heat
• Staff should avoid using food in activities or games, including rewards.

Risk minimisation for excursions:

• The student’s adrenaline autoinjector, ASCIA Action Plan and means of contacting emergency assistance must be taken on all field trips/excursions.
• One or more staff members who have been trained in the recognition of anaphylaxis and the administration of the adrenaline autoinjector should accompany the student on field trips or excursions.  All staff present during the field trip or excursion need to be aware if there is a student at risk of anaphylaxis.

Risk minimisation for camps, tours and trips:

• The student’s adrenaline autoinjector and ASCIA Action Plan and a mobile phone must be taken on camp.
• A team of staff who have been trained in the recognition of anaphylaxis and the administration of the adrenaline autoinjector should accompany the student on camp.  However, all staff present need to be aware if there is a student at risk of anaphylaxis.
• The camp/tour/trip leader must be aware of what local emergency services are in the area and how to access them.
• The adrenaline autoinjector should remain close to the student at risk of anaphylaxis and staff must be aware of its location at all times

Reference

Adapted from: Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy

The assessment policy has been developed to provide guidelines to staff and students when faced with issues such as late assignments, student absence from tests, late entry into a course etc. The Policy cannot cover every possible circumstance and the classroom teacher, Head of Learning Area, Head of Senior School, and Dean of Studies may need to rule on such cases.

In all cases it is important that students and parents are clearly aware of the issue and the action taken. It is too late at report time to be sorting out assessment matters if the problems were not clearly communicated during the term.

The following guidelines have been developed so that students, parents, and teachers are aware of their responsibilities in the assessment process. Students are to complete the prescribed work requirements of each subject by the due date. Teachers are to ensure that the assessment process is fair, comprehensive, valid and explicit.

Transferring Subjects
Transferring into a course after the year has commenced will only be permitted after approval from the Dean of Studies. The teacher will make the student aware of any assessment(s) that have been missed and make plans to meet all requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that required assessment(s) are completed.

Missing Assessments
If a student misses an assessment due to a verifiable illness the assessment will be administered as soon as practical upon the student’s return to classes.

A student who misses an assessment due to illness (especially in Years 11 and 12) may be required to provide a doctor’s certificate to verify this illness. When a student returns to the College following any absence, it is the student’s responsibility to find out about missed work, assessments etc. It is not acceptable for a student to use the excuse that they were absent when a piece of work was assigned.

Overdue Assignments
The day and date on which an assignment is due is clearly communicated by the teacher to the students at the time of setting the assignment and should be recorded in the Student Diary.

A student who submits an assignment after the due date, without a valid excuse, will not be marked on the same basis as a student who has submitted the assignment on time; in fairness to the latter. Overdue assignments will only be accepted two days after the due date with 20% of the mark received deducted as a penalty for late submission.

Non-submission of an assignment is not satisfactory and will not be tolerated unless there are exceptional circumstances. After the grace period students will be required to attend in-school suspension with the Head of Learning Area (HOLA) until the set work is complete. There may be a further mark’s penalty as decided by the HOLA depending on the type and extent of the task in question.

Cheating
Cheating in assessments is very serious and, at the discretion of the Head of Learning Area, the student will be penalised with a lower mark.

Plagiarism
Assignments or other work that is not the student’s own work, but is presented as such, will not be accepted. The student will be required to resubmit the work or complete an alternative assignment which may incur a marks penalty.

Students with Special Needs
It is recognised that some students may have temporary or permanent special needs when it comes to assessments, especially tests and exams.

For example, tests may need to be printed on coloured paper to assist some visual problems. Such requests for consideration should be given in writing to the Dean of Studies. Extra working time for tests and exams may be given to students with documented special needs.

Asthma affects 1:4 primary school children, 1:7 teenagers and 1:10 adults in Australia and the symptoms of an asthma attack can range from coughing, a soft wheeze and minor difficulty in breathing through to gasping for breath and being pale and sweaty with blue lips.

Asthma is a common cause of school absenteeism amongst children. It is essential that the College has knowledge of all children in the school with asthma and health care procedures in place to deal with an asthma attack.

Where to go for further information: The Asthma Foundation of WA can be contacted on (08) 9481 1234 or on their website www.asthmawa.org.au.

Student Asthma Records The parent/guardian of every student in the College with asthma will be asked to fill out a Student Asthma Record Form obtainable from Student Services each year. Parents are responsible for updating this documentation each year or sooner if their child’s asthma changes significantly. Parents should ensure their child has an adequate supply of the appropriate asthma medication at school.

The Student Asthma Record needs to include information on the student’s usual asthma medical procedure (medication taken on a regular basis when the student is ‘well’ or as pre-medication prior to exercise). The plan should provide details of the student’s symptoms, triggers and medication requirements, i.e. name of medication/s, method (e.g., puffer and spacer, turbohaler, tablets, syrup, discs), when and how much to take.

Asthma Medical Emergency Plan In the event of an attack, the Student’s Asthma Record Plan will be followed.

If there is little or no improvement, an ambulance will be called. If the attack is severe, the student’s parents will be contacted.

Rationale

We acknowledge that with an open enrolment policy, some of our parents do not embrace biblical principles, however, it is our responsibility to act according to those principles. We recognise that the primary responsibility of discipline rests with parents and that the capacity for personal obedience and self-discipline is an essential element of a blessed life.

The College works with parents and in loco parenti, to encourage students to function correctly in the context of their developing social (Hebrews 3:17; 1 Peter 2:13,14; Romans 13:1) and moral responsibilities (Matthew 22:37- 40, Micah 6:8, Titus 2:11,12).

Our emphasis therefore will be to develop in the College a policy which provides clear understandings of rights and responsibilities, supports and nurtures all stakeholders and considers students and their families in the context of the needs and requirements of the broader community, both within and beyond the College. This policy intends to provide enough structure to give support and clarity and the flexibility to be responsive to individual circumstances.

Processes Used in Behaviour Management

Students are encouraged to develop a respect for themselves as people and as members of the College Community. Students must conduct themselves at all times in a manner that will not detract from their reputation or reduce that of other members of the College.

Students do not have the right to conduct themselves in such a way as is likely to offend others. Offensive behaviour will not be tolerated whether it be the irresponsible use of offensive language, smoking, drinking of alcoholic liquor, taking or possessing illegal drugs, gambling, stealing or injury of another. As some of these are offences against the law, offenders may be asked to leave the College.

Daily Report

The process and purpose of a Daily Report is included on the back of each report.

When a child has been placed on daily report they are required to meet with a member of Senior Staff in the morning to pick up their report. They are to take this to every lesson, have it completed by their teacher, bring it home for parental review and comment, get the form signed and bring it to the senior teacher the next morning. Their mindfulness and personal responsibility in completing these requirements is an important element of this process.

Daily Report has a number of functions:

For parents - opportunity for direct understanding of how their child is performing in every lesson and for family discussion, and easy communication with teachers and senior staff.

For teachers - daily communication with parents and the opportunity to provide students with regular feedback regarding their performance.

For students - regular understanding and reinforcement of their performance, and an opportunity to organise themselves to improve and maintain the disciplines of learning in an accountable environment.

For Senior Staff - the opportunity to encourage the student to reflect on their performance in an accountable situation.

Guidelines to the ratings on Daily Reports:

Very Poor: the student’s performance in that aspect is completely unacceptable must be addressed and changed immediately.

Poor: the student has not behaved correctly or conformed to College rules and this has had to be addressed by a teacher.

Satisfactory: the student has fulfilled all the requirements that we reasonably expect with respect to the various categories.

Very Good : the student has exceeded expectations in every element of that category and achieved a very, to a very high, standard in the class in a particular aspect.

Excellent : means they have absolutely excelled and their achievement is exemplary; their punctuality, preparedness and organisation, dress, conduct and work effort could be shown to any other teacher, parent or student as an example of excellence.

The scores a student achieves on daily reports are not relative to what teachers have come to expect from that student, but what the College expects from all students generally.

In-School Suspension

In-school suspension, is at the discretion of the Head of Learning Area, Head of House, Head of Senior School, Head of Middle School or Dean of Students. Students may also be placed on in-school suspension as part of the Academic Policy.

The principle of in-school suspension for behavioural reasons is the removal of a student from the benefits of the College community for a day and is usually implemented for the following reasons:

• Consistent refusal to adhere to uniform standards (only if parents cannot take the student from the College and return when they conform to uniform policy).

• A critical incident which does not involve a general suspension.

• A student has been given a general suspension that day but parents are unable to take the student from the premises immediately.

Parents and teachers should be informed at the earliest possible opportunity when a student is given an in-school suspension. This especially gives teachers opportunity to provide profitable work for the student to undertake while withdrawn from classes.

General Suspension

General suspension, the removal of a student from the College premises, is at the discretion of the Dean of Students is generally in consultation with the Deputy Principal or Principal.

The principle of a general suspension is that a student has violated the College to the degree that the privilege of being part of that community is suspended for a period of time. Suspension may be needed to allow time for a situation to diffuse, to send a message that certain behaviour has been particularly offensive or to allow time for a full investigation of a circumstance to be completed.

When the circumstances have been established and decision made, it is important that both the student and parents clearly understand the reason for the general suspension and subsequent consequences. The length of a suspension depends upon the circumstances and the implications of the student’s actions on the College community. If a student has been suspended previously it would be expected that any subsequent suspension would be longer. It must be clearly understood that general suspensions are regarded with due seriousness and are essentially a response of last resort. Students and parents should not expect the process of general suspension to be ongoing. Without significant positive change and effort in a student’s behaviour their enrolment would be withdrawn.

Any suspension of longer than one day would usually require a re-entry interview with the Principal, parents, student and relevant staff. The student must show a commitment to improved behaviour and desire to be enrolled in the College with the support and cooperation of their parents. At the Principal’s discretion the student may be placed on a ‘Provisional Enrolment’.

Changes to a Student’s Status

In the case of ongoing behavioural problems or critical incidents, a student’s status may be changed by the College Executive. This should be regarded as an extreme position which strongly motivates a student to work with Senior College staff and their parents to remediate their position and function correctly in the College community. When a student’s status has been changed, their progress will be closely monitored by Senior College staff and an evident change in attitude and behaviour is expected. It should be noted that close adherence to uniform policy is regarded as an immediate outward indicator of a student’s desire to cooperate and remain enrolled at the College.

Good Standing

The difference between good standing and provisional enrolments is that generally provisional enrolments are the result of a major incident, whereas loss of good standing can occur as the result of continued uniform, academic or behaviour/ attitude issues. Following continued problems after intervention from Heads of House or Heads of Learning Areas, a student may be deemed ‘Not in Good Standing’ by the Dean of Students in consultation with Senior Executive staff. The status ‘Not in Good Standing’ means that students may not be involved in Co-curricular activities where they would represent the College. If a student’s status is ‘Not in Good Standing’, continued failure to comply with College expectations will mean that they are placed on provisional enrolment. When a student’s status is ‘Not in Good Standing’ they enter a behaviour contract. This is a contract between the student and Dean of Students with parents informed at an interview. Teachers are informed of the student’s status and the conditions of the contract and are asked to comment on the student’s adherence to this contract. The contract has a specific time period. If a student breaks the contract, their status moves to a provisional enrolment (initial or final). If a student maintains the contract they are restored to good standing.

Provisional Enrolment

Provisional enrolment is essentially a signed contract between the student, their parents and the Principal, as representative of the College, which determines the conditions upon which a student’s enrolment may be continued. Provisional enrolments are usually for a semester or year and will be reviewed at their expiry.

There are two categories of provisional enrolment:

Initial Provisional Enrolment
The provisions of this enrolment if not adhered to will result in another interview and enrolment review which may lead to either exclusion from the College or a Final Provisional Enrolment.

Final Provisional Enrolment
If the provisions of this enrolment are not kept the student’s enrolment is terminated as a matter of course. This may or may not include an interview. Students and parents must understand that being on Provisional Enrolment changes a student’s status in the College and any major infraction, or continued issues not positively addressed, even if not specifically mentioned in the provisions of enrolment, will jeopardise enrolment.

Expulsion

A student may be expelled from the College at the discretion of the Principal as the result of a serious breach of the College behaviour policy, criminal act or failure to maintain the provisions of enrolment.

The College has a zero tolerance stance with regards to drugs and alcohol, violence and aggression, and inappropriate sexual behaviour. Involvement in these behaviours can lead to expulsion in the first instance.

Public Displays of Affection

Expressions of friendship, comfort, counsel or encouragement that are shown generally to students are welcome. However, where a special relationship exists between two students, it is not appropriate to have public displays of affection in the College environment. Students who do so risk suspension.

Physical Contact / Fighting

There will be no physical contact / fighting on the College property, or while in transit to and from the College. Any game involving excessive physical contact is not permitted, unless under the direct supervision of a staff member who is actively involved in umpiring a game. There is zero tolerance to fighting and bullying. Please draw our attention to anything in this area that concerns you. There may be severe consequences including suspension and expulsion to this type of behaviour.

Use of Aerosols

Aerosol sprays or pump sprays are not permitted at the College, except asthma sprays or other prescribed medications. Students are encouraged to use roll-on deodorant following Physical Education and other activities.

Click here to download our Bullying and Harassment Policy

Swan Christian College is committed to providing a safe environment for all our students, staff and broader community. When concerns about drugs use arise in the College community, we will follow the steps set out in the Policy to determine what actions are appropriate to maintain a safe environment. The Drug Policy reflects the desire for a learning environment for all students that is free of prohibited, non-medical drugs and upholds our commitment to Spirituality, Respect, Integrity and Excellence, and in the way that we treat each other and ourselves.

This policy seeks to support and maintain a health promoting school environment in which the welfare of all school community members is paramount, identify the role of Swan Christian College in the prevention of drug related problems and document the College's agreed position on, and accepted procedures for dealing with, drug related incidents and problems. The full policy can be downloaded here.

Rationale

At Swan Christian College we encourage all students to participate fully in the College’s academic, co-curricular, spiritual and pastoral programs. These programs are designed to explore God’s world in its many dimensions. In the process, students will have the opportunity to recognise and develop their gifts so that they will be equipped for lives of faithful service under the Lordship of Christ. We believe that it is a privilege to participate fully in the College’s programs and with this privilege comes responsibilities. A student who fulfils these responsibilities will maintain their enrolment at Swan Christian College in ‘Good Standing’.

Student responsibilities to remain in good standing:

Attendance - students are expected to attend school every day unless they are sick or have the Principal’s permission to be absent. This includes all timetabled classes, camps. sports carnivals and Awards Night. Any student with greater than ten day’s absence in a calendar year is considered at risk.

Attitude - students are expected to support the values and ethos of the College.

Behaviour - students are expected to exhibit the College’s Code of Behaviour at all times.

Punctuality - students are expected to arrive on time to school and for each of their classes

Uniform - a student’s uniform is expected to be exemplary.

Work ethic - students are expected to regularly complete homework, submit assignments on time, revise work for tests and catch up on work missed during an absence.

Consequences of not being in good standing:

If a student is not in Good Standing, parents will be informed and discussions held between the parents, the student, and the relevant College staff so that the problem can be rectified as quickly as possible. Following these discussions a student who is not in Good Standing will be placed on a Behavioural Contract for a specific period of time. The correct fulfilment of this contact is essential for the student to be restored to Good Standing.

Ultimately, if the problem cannot be rectified the student may not be able to progress to the next year level, may be placed on Provisional Enrolment or may have their enrolment at the College withdrawn.

Swan Christian College encourages the responsible use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Access to computer facilities and the internet is conditional on staff and students complying with this policy. The following agreement applies to each student’s desktop every login:

ICT Users Agreement (Students)

• If I bring my own device to school I recognise that the same conditions of use apply as if I was using a College supplied device.
• I recognise that in order to use my own device at school I need to provide a MAC address to gain access to the College network.
• I will only store data that is educational and directly related to my school work on the network.
• I will only access the internet under the direction of a teacher.
• I will not access or bring inappropriate material into the College. Inappropriate’ means does not comply with the College’s standards (moral, ethical or others).
• I will not send abusive, threatening or clearly unwanted messages to others.
• I will not access MP3, iPods,email, chat or other services without permission from my teacher.
• I will not break laws by copying and/or sending someone else’s work.
• All internet research submitted must be accompanied by a reference list showing sources used (URL’s, books, articles etc).
• All removable or portable media storage devices must be submitted for inspection by a teacher, when requested.
• I will not disclose personal information about myself or anyone else, over the internet or other social networking sites.
• I will not upload any material at any time to the internet (e.g. My Space, YouTube, Facebook etc) that contains the Swan Christian College name, logo or student uniform or identifies Swan Christian College in any way, unless signed approval has been given directly by the Principal.
• Electronic mail is monitored and must be used for educational purposes.
• Swan Christian College will not accept responsibility for data loss or damage when connected to the College network.
• Students will take responsibility for cost of photocopying personal documents when required.

Actions not in accordance with ‘Swan Christian College Guidelines and Acceptable Use Policy’ may result in serious consequences including:

• Confiscation of storage media (e.g. memory stick, external hard drives, iPod, MP3 player or any other device) which may be returned after deletion or be impounded.
• Cancellation of user access account for a period of time.
• Repayment of costs incurred to the College for materials, services or equipment required to rectify damage, through misuse of systems.
• Jeopardise enrolment with Swan Christian College.
• Notifying police authorities where appropriate.

The Information Privacy and Security Policy requires schools to gain parental/ guardian permission before using visual images of students outside the school environment.

Swan Christian College frequently uses images/names of students to recognise Swan Christian College excellent achievements, inform parents and the local community of College matters, publicise events and promote the College. Throughout the year students’ photographs, digital images and names are used in a number of different publications for various reasons, such as:

• student portfolios
• College E-news
• College promotional material
• College website
• external educational/promotional websites
• College publications e.g. Year Book
• local newspapers/magazines
• media publications e.g. videos/DVDs.
NB: This list is not exhaustive.

Parents are, of course, at liberty to withdraw their consent by informing the College in writing. Reasons why parents may choose to withdraw permission include cultural sensitivities or perhaps custody related issues. Please contact the College if you wish to withdraw consent.

Please ensure you are familiar with this guide and refer to it whenever purchasing uniform items for 2018:

2018 Uniform Guide (pdf download)

All parents and students should be aware of our Mobile Phone Policy and we request that parents reinforce it with their children. 

The College recognises that mobile phones are a valid and important communication tool and a part of contemporary society. The College accepts that parents give their children phones to protect them from everyday risks involving personal security and safety. There is also an increasing concern about children travelling alone on public transport or commuting long distances to school. It is acknowledged that providing a child with a mobile phone gives parents reassurance that they can contact their child if they need to speak to them urgently. While at school students can be contacted through student services, likewise a phone is available in Student Services if a student needs to contact their parents/guardian.

To download the full mobile phone policy for Middle and Senior School, the Trade Training Centre and Junior School please click here. 

The STTC (Swan Trade Training Centre) provides an authentic industry learning experience. Many workplaces have developed an alcohol and drugs in the workplace policy, which is a recommendation of WorkSafe WA. Increasingly, employers are screening their employees for the use of illicit drugs and alcohol.

STTC believes that the use of illicit drugs and alcohol can:
• be detrimental to the physical and mental health of students
• seriously interfere with the academic, social and competitive performance of students
• be extremely dangerous to the student’s classmates and themselves through the unsafe operation of complex, heavy and hazardous equipment
• create an unfair and damaging stigma for those students who do not use and abuse drugs.

As a result of the STTC’s genuine concern for the safety and welfare of each student all students enrolled in a STTC course will participate in a drug and alcohol screening program.