Nearer to Nature provides information assisting teachers to develop an Excursion Management Plan as required by the Department of Education's Excursion: Off School-site Activities Policy.
For teachers planning an excursion or camp at one of our venues here is the information you will need, some answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and our teacher/adult to student ratios required for our excursion and camp activities.
The DoE Checklist page provides information addressing each point of the DoE Excursion Management Plan Checklist.
The Centres have an Emergency Response and Fire Evacuation Plan. Our Nearer to Nature Officers, in collaboration with other delegated departmental staff are responsible for implementing the plan. In the event that an evacuation is required all school staff, students and assistants must take directions from our Nearer to Nature Officers. They can be recognised by their uniform.
All Nearer to Nature officers carry either a hand-held VHF radio or a NextG mobile phone for emergency contact.
The Nearer to Nature Coordinators of the Centres have records of when and where all activities are taking place. Student and adult numbers are recorded at the Centre prior to departure for activities in the forest.
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 copies of our public liability documents when you are making a booking.
Alternatively you can download these documents here:
Certificate of Currency Professional Liability116.42 KBCertificate of Currency General Liability.pdf113.33 KBCanning River Eco Education Centre (CREEC)Forest Discovery Centre678.45 KBHenderson Environmental Centre715.49 KBLake Jackadder699.64 KBLake Joondalup678.7 KBMatilda Bay Reserve532.21 KBPerth Hills Discovery Centre1.17 MBPiney Lakes Environmental Education Centre869.27 KBPoint Walter687.34 KBRiverside Gardens, Bayswater733.35 KBYanchep National Park668.13 KBValley of the Giants Treetop Walk593.77 KB
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.
Excursions, unless otherwise indicated, run for four hours (from 10am to 2pm) including breaks for morning tea and lunch.
Costs vary according to excursion and venue, see the relevant brochure on the main schools page for the costs of your chosen program. All prices include 10% GST.
As all programs and activities are curriculum linked the GST component can be reclaimed.
The minimum payment is for 20 students; except for Nearer to Nature South West excursions, where there are no set minimum numbers. Your school will be invoiced after the excursion, with the final cost determined by the actual number of students attending.
Cheques are payable to:
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
Our ABN is: 38 052 249 024
A confirmation letter will be forwarded to you on finalizing your booking. We request that you reconfirm one week prior to your excursion.
Please confirm any cancellation in writing at least one week Before your visit, otherwise we request a cancellation fee.
Parks and Wildlife Service reserve the right to cancel excursions at short notice in the event of adverse environmental conditions.
Separate charges may apply for overseas and interstate students.
Please contact us for more information.
This section provides information assisting teachers to develop an Excursion Management Plan as required by the Department of Education's Excursion: Off School-site Activities Policy.
Please see our program descriptions for curriculum links which describe the educational purpose of each excursion.
If you have any queries concerning arrangements for our excursion activities please call our Coordinators.
The Perth Hills Discovery Centre, Wharncliffe Mill, Wellington Discovery Forest, Henderson Environmental Centre and Dwellingup Forest Heritage Centre are all venues which have been purpose built for educational activities. Activities take place both indoors and outdoors, along tracks in the forest.
* NOTE: Henderson Environment Centre in North Beach is covered by the VRM process of the City of Stirling.
Teachers can assess the Centres prior to an excursion
All venues have dedicated areas for safe embarkation/disembarkation of buses. For a small number of excursions, a bus will need to remain on site to transport excursion participants to different areas of a venue.
Nearer to Nature schools programs are suitable for students of all ages. The activities have been designed to suit the different developmental stages of young people. Our advertising material indicates the appropriate age for each of the excursions/activities offered.
There is wheelchair access to and around the Centres and limited access along some of the forest tracks.
It is essential that any students with special medical needs, especially allergies requiring epipens, have necessary medications with them and an adult capable of administration. Nearer to Nature Officers will request this information on arrival.
Nearer to Nature Officers have training and experience in the hazards of, and safe conduct in, natural environments.
Nearer to Nature Officers are trained in First Aid and hold current St John's Senior First Aid Certificates.
Weather conditions are monitored prior to and during excursions, and Nearer to Nature officers may modify or cancel activities in the event of adverse environmental conditions.
Nearer to Nature Officers have been trained for, and have experience in, leading activities in the natural environment.
Nearer to Nature Officers hold a current Working With Children Check. Copies of these can be provided on request.
DBCA is a government department and holds general and professional liability insurance cover with a limit of $600,000,000 through the RiskCover. Certificates of currency are available on page 3 of this section.
Each school group is allocated a Nearer to Nature Officer for the duration of the excursion.
The school is required to bring the minimum number of adult supervisors suitable for the age group and capacity of their students and the excursion type.
The minimum requirement for supervision is:
On arrival at the Centre an Officer will greet the students and outline the program and the ‘housekeeping rules' for the day. These include safety measures and defining boundaries for students.
The role of Nearer to Nature Officers is to facilitate the students' activities. School staff members, however, have overall duty of care for their students.
Teachers must inform the Nearer to Nature Officer of any students with special needs or medical conditions.
Nearer to Nature Officers will request numbers of students, staff and parent helpers on arrival for an excursion. Numbers will be checked at all critical times. During outdoor activities and walks, students are required to remain with the group at all times, with a supervising adult following the group.
We request that all students arrive for the excursion activities with a nametag.
Upon booking Nearer to Nature excursion, a confirmation packge will be sent which includes full details of the excursion and an information booklet for parents. It is the responsibility of the booking teacher to provide excursion consent forms to parents.
The school will be advised before the group departs for the excursion if the weather conditions change suddenly and are unsuitable for the excursion eg very strong winds, a fierce storm or very hot conditions. Our staff will arrange for an alternative day.
Walkie-talkies are carried by Nearer to Nature Officers from The Perth Hills Discovery Centre for activities that occur beyond 1km from the Centre.
NextG Mobile telephones are carried by Nearer to Nature Officers at all country venues.
The Centres have an Emergency Response and Fire Evacuation Plan. Our Nearer to Nature Officers, in collaboration with other delegated departmental staff are responsible for implementing the plan. In the event that an evacuation is required all school staff, students and assistants must take directions from our Nearer to Nature Officers. They can be recognised by their uniform.
On arrival at the Centre an Officer will greet the students and outline the program and the ‘housekeeping rules' for the day. These include safety measures and defining boundaries for students. Where parent helpers are attending, their roles will be explained by the Nearer to Nature Officer.
The Nearer to Nature Coordinators of the Centres have records of when and where all activities are taking place. Student and adult numbers are recorded at the Centre prior to departure for activities in the forest and these records are kept for seven years.