Q1. Are schools required to provide an adult to student ratio for this excursion?
Yes. The minimum requirement for supervision is:
ONE teacher/adult for every SIX Pre-primary, Year 1 to Year 3 students.
ONE teacher/adult for every FIFTEEN Year 4 to Year 12 students.
The required ratio of adults to students varies according to the type of excursion and activities. See the Table Adult/student ratios for excursions and camps .
Q2. Do we need to bring morning tea, lunch and drink?
Yes. There are no shops at the Centres.
Q3. Do the Centres have Emergency Response Plans (ERP)? Can I have a copy of this plan?
Yes. Our ERPs include fire evacuation procedures. You can request a copy when you make a booking.
Q4. Do you have Insurance and Liability cover?
Parks and Wildlife Service and the City of Stirling (for Henderson Environmental Centre) is insured by RiskCover and therefore complies with all the public liability requirements of the Department of Education's Excursion Policy. You can request a copy of our public liability document when you are making a booking.
Q5. How much will my excursion cost?
Costs vary depending on the excursion and activity.
For details of costs of each excursion, please go view the Excursions page.
Q6. Is there a minimum payment for one group?
Yes. We are a not-for-profit government organisation and will require minimum payment, per group as follows:
No minimum numbers are applicable to South West excursions.
Q7. How do I pay for my school excursion?
You will be invoiced for the number of attending students or the minimum required for the excursion (See Q6). Teachers and accompanying adults are free of charge.
Q8. Do Nearer to Nature Officers have Senior First Aid certificates?
Yes. Nearer to Nature Officers are trained in first aid and hold current Senior First Aid Certificates.
Q9. Do Nearer to Nature Officers have Police Clearances.
Yes. All Nearer to Nature Officers have a current Working With Children check.
Q10. Is our bus required to stay at the Centre during the excursion?
We recommend that your bus stays at our Centres. For some excursions the bus will be required to transport students during the day. We provide details of essential times of arrival and departure in your confirmation letter.
Q11. What communication strategies do you have?
The school will be advised before the group departs for the excursion if the weather conditions have changed suddenly and are unsuitable for the excursion.
Walkie-talkies are carried by Nearer to Nature Officers from The Perth Hills Discovery Centre for activities that occur beyond 1km from the Centre.
Mobile telephones (NextG) are carried by Nearer to Nature Officers at Wharncliffe Mill, Wellington Discovery Forest and other regional centres at all times.
Q12. What information is required for emergency response planning?
Parks and Wildlife Service recommends that the Teacher-in-Charge has a list of participating students, contact telephone numbers. Teachers must provide Nearer to Nature Officers with any relevant student health information on arrival at the Centre.
Q13. Briefing students
On arrival at the Centre an Nearer to Nature Officer will greet the students and outline the program and the housekeeping rules for the day. This will include defining the boundaries for students and safety measures to be observed.