Episode 12: EOTC lessons learned

Today we’re continuing to talk about the health and safety responsibilities of tumuaki for people at your school. Today we're focusing on education outside the classroom – EOTC – more about the planning that's required, the risks, and what can happen when things go wrong. We’ll hear from Murray Burton, principal of Elim Christian College at the time of the 2008 Mangatepopo canyoning tragedy, in which six students and a teacher lost their lives on a school trip.

My guests this week are:

• Patrick Walsh, qualified lawyer and tumuaki of Sacred Heart College in Auckland
• Fiona McDonald, Chief Executive of Education Outdoors New Zealand
• Murray Burton, principal of Elim Christian College in Auckland.

This podcast was produced for the Ministry of Education as part of Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals.

You can learn more about this topic by accessing Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals e-learning modules on the Education LMS: https://training.education.govt.nz

Show notes

Episode themes:

• The three tiers of EOTC planning – all about the EOTC guidelines, EOTC safety management plans, and the toolkit of EOTC forms which support the approval process (links below)
• Risk mitigation – what to think about before any outing
• The Mangatepopo canyoning tragedy, in which six students and a teacher lost their lives on a school trip, and what happened in the aftermath for tumuaki Murray Burton
• Handling the media after a tragedy
• Inherent risk in any school trips, and the importance of communicating risk – and the mitigations you’re putting in place - to parents
• Lessons learned.

Additional information

EOTC guidelines https://eotc.tki.org.nz/EOTC-home/EOTC-Guidelines

EOTC safety management plan template and toolkit form templates https://eonz.org.nz/eotc-management/eotc-smp-template-and-tool-kit-forms/

Questions

1:00 [to Fiona] In the last episode, you talked about the checklists for schools when they're planning trips outside the classroom, and you mentioned the EOTC guidelines and what they cover. Can you tell me a little bit more about what they cover and how they apply in practical terms when schools are taking students offsite? 

2:41 [to Fiona] Is the planning before the trip the most important thing for mitigating risk on trips off school grounds?

4:15 [to Murray] You mentioned that a number of years ago there was a tragedy for Elim on a school trip. Can you tell me about that please?

7:07 [to Murray] Who was held responsible for that?

8:00 [to Murray] In the aftermath of a tragic accident like that, what kinds of things did you have to do as tumuaki – what was the process?

16:01[to Murray] Does your planning differ now for activities like this, or would you approach any trip the same as you approached this one?

19:16 [to Murray] There was recently a similar tragedy on another school's caving trip, and you got in touch with the tumuaki there to offer your support. What advice did you offer them?

20:33 [to all] We've talked a lot about mitigating risk in this conversation. What advice would you give around the best ways for tumuaki to mitigate risk around health and safety?