Supervisors on the playground may be beyond each other’s earshot, outside the hearing of people inside the facility, and far from a phone.
The following tips are designed to increase the quality of the playground supervision in your school, ensuring that children are safe on your playground.The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) recommends the playground supervision ratio of adult supervisors to children should mirror classroom ratios.
Some injuries require further medical attention by the school nurse or acting health clerk (sometimes the school secretary). It requires adult supervisors who are alert, are aware, know safe playground rules, and intervene when inappropriate behavior occur. Depending on the number of children playing on the playground, the amount of staff will need to increase accordingly. Supervision of activity with children Guidance on supervising the activities of workers and volunteers with children. Playground supervisors have the responsibility of “keeping all children safe” on the playground. Go over your equipment to see if there are any spots, such as the top of a tall slide, where a child could be trapped and out of reach. Carefully plan where you will position yourself in the environment to prevent children from harm. Active supervision requires focused attention and intentional observation of children at all times. In fact, approximately 200,000 accidents each year send children to the emergency room for treatment of an injury which occurred on the school playground. If the class size is at 32, then there should be one playground supervisor for every 32 children. Copyright 2015-2017 Peaceful Playgrounds | All Rights Reserved When working with groups of children and young people there must be enough adults to provide the appropriate level of supervision.Staffing and supervision ratios can sometimes be difficult to judge. What is Active Supervision? Although this is less of a problem today than it was 5 years ago, some sweatshirts still tie around the wooded area and could result in a choking hazard, should the rope get caught on a play structure. Removing the rope or string from the hood is a safe solution.Playgrounds should be split into supervision zones.
If there is truly no access to the child, remove that equipment.Ask parents to remove strings from children’s clothing. At least one playground supervisor on the playground should have a means of contacting the office and getting assistance out to the playground. ... pupil ratios at each key stage. Regardless of how safe your playground equipment is, children have immature judgment regarding the hazards inherent in playgrounds and playground activities.A little thought and strategic planning can boost supervision practices on the playground to much better levels. Of these, many of the most serious can be related to lack of proper supervision.Child care regulations issued by the states are generally silent on outdoor playground supervision. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
When the general public is allowed on campus after hours, it is important for school personnel to inspect the field area each morning prior to students arriving. Some schools purchase walkie-talkies for this situation. This will help you make decisions about how many adults you need and what skills and experience they should have.You need to know whether adults are eligible for a vetting and barring check and be clear about any additional safeguards which need to be put in place. (National Safe Kids USA Playground Safety Institute, 2011). NSPCC, charity registered in Scotland, charity number SC037717. Playground injuries are the leading cause of injuries to students 5 - 14 in the school environment.
Staff should be located so their fields of vision overlap slightly to cover the whole area. © 2020 NPPS & University of Northern Iowa When activities, equipment, and open spaces are designed well, it is easier to supervise by sight and sound.