❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice addresses concerns about the impact of summer heat and daylight saving on Wheatbelt school children, focusing on school schedules, sun protection, and air conditioning. The response provides some data but indicates that some information is not readily available.
AnsweredQoN 2962Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(a) why are young Wheatbelt children released from school during the ultimate period of heat on a summer’s day, in many instances with an hours’ travelling time on a school bus;
(b) what additional educational programs and remedial processes are in place to protect young rural children in the Minister’s care and custody from the potential side-effects of daylight saving in 2008;
(c) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with all classrooms air-conditioned;
(d) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with enough verandah space and other appropriate shade areas to accommodate and protect all students;
(e) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with properly facilitated ‘quiet time’ areas for pre-primary school children;
(f) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools that provide to students:
(i) free chilled drinking water;
(ii) free sunscreen creams; or
(iii) any other form of sun protection facilitation;
(g) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt school buses that are air-conditioned;
(h) what monitoring processes are in place, or will be put in place, investigating any adverse effects of daylight saving on:
(i) students’ classroom attitudes, performance and demeanour; and
(ii) playground attitudes, performance and demeanour; and
(i) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt school students who will be attending Department of Education and Training initiated swimming lessons between the hours of 1.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. Western Daylight Saving Time between 1 December 2007 to 1 March 2008?
(b) what additional educational programs and remedial processes are in place to protect young rural children in the Minister’s care and custody from the potential side-effects of daylight saving in 2008;
(c) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with all classrooms air-conditioned;
(d) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with enough verandah space and other appropriate shade areas to accommodate and protect all students;
(e) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with properly facilitated ‘quiet time’ areas for pre-primary school children;
(f) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools that provide to students:
(i) free chilled drinking water;
(ii) free sunscreen creams; or
(iii) any other form of sun protection facilitation;
(g) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt school buses that are air-conditioned;
(h) what monitoring processes are in place, or will be put in place, investigating any adverse effects of daylight saving on:
(i) students’ classroom attitudes, performance and demeanour; and
(ii) playground attitudes, performance and demeanour; and
(i) what is the number and percentage of Wheatbelt school students who will be attending Department of Education and Training initiated swimming lessons between the hours of 1.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. Western Daylight Saving Time between 1 December 2007 to 1 March 2008?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
25 February 2008
Responded by
Minister for Education and Training
Response time
88 days
(a) Temperature peaks show considerable variation from day to day across any season; accordingly it would not be possible to schedule school leaving time to ensure the peak is always avoided. With specific reference to summer temperatures during daylight saving meteorological records indicate that any rise during the hour in question is not usually significant.
(b) The Department's
Student Health Care
policy requires the Principal to consult with the school community to develop procedures for promoting effective sun protection including: the use of protective clothing and hats; limiting the amount of time spent in the sun between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm where practicable; and addressing relevant knowledge, attitudes and skills in the teaching and learning program. The designated times of 10.00 am to 3. 00 pm for limiting sun exposure take into account daylight saving.
(c) All schools located with the Department of Education and Training's air-cooling zone, as outlined on the attached map (Map 1), have been provided with air-cooling.
Wheatbelt schools located outside the air-cooling zone may have been wholly or partially air-cooled by using alternative fund sources such as school-based funding or funds from the "Investing in Our Schools" program.
Accordingly, the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with all classrooms air-cooled is not readily available.
(d) Most Wheatbelt schools have appropriate verandahs and shade trees. The larger schools will have also been provided with a covered assembly area.
The number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with enough verandah space and other appropriate shade areas to accommodate and protect all students is not readily available.
(e) This information is not readily available.
(f) (i) It is understood that all Wheatbelt schools are equipped with cold
water drinking units.
(ii) Schools may provide sunscreen for their students through their School Grant or through their Parents & Citizens Association. No data is collected centrally on the provision of sunscreen.
(iii) It is understood that all Wheatbelt schools have adopted a policy of "no hat, no play".
This will be determined at the local level. Data is not collected centrally.
(g) The Public Transport Authority (PTA) has responsibility for managing contractors that transport students in country areas. In the case of Wheatbelt schools that operate in Zone B and where records are available, 200 of 246 or 81% of buses that undertake this task are air-conditioned. Advice from PTA is that as older buses are retired, replacement buses will be air-conditioned. In addition, there are 31 buses that operate in Zone C that are also air-conditioned. (Map 2)
(h) (i) Schools regularly monitor behaviour in the classroom and playground and are required to report incidents and suspensions. This data is entered and collated electronically.
(ii) See (h)(i) above
(i) The Department will be operating two programs that overlap 1 December 2007 to 1 March 2008:
VacSwim
: Approximately 5% (159 applicants) of the total pre-enrolment in Wheatbelt towns will have lessons between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
Interm
Swimming
Program
: Approximately 22% (1300 students) will attend lessons between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
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(b) The Department's
Student Health Care
policy requires the Principal to consult with the school community to develop procedures for promoting effective sun protection including: the use of protective clothing and hats; limiting the amount of time spent in the sun between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm where practicable; and addressing relevant knowledge, attitudes and skills in the teaching and learning program. The designated times of 10.00 am to 3. 00 pm for limiting sun exposure take into account daylight saving.
(c) All schools located with the Department of Education and Training's air-cooling zone, as outlined on the attached map (Map 1), have been provided with air-cooling.
Wheatbelt schools located outside the air-cooling zone may have been wholly or partially air-cooled by using alternative fund sources such as school-based funding or funds from the "Investing in Our Schools" program.
Accordingly, the number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with all classrooms air-cooled is not readily available.
(d) Most Wheatbelt schools have appropriate verandahs and shade trees. The larger schools will have also been provided with a covered assembly area.
The number and percentage of Wheatbelt schools with enough verandah space and other appropriate shade areas to accommodate and protect all students is not readily available.
(e) This information is not readily available.
(f) (i) It is understood that all Wheatbelt schools are equipped with cold
water drinking units.
(ii) Schools may provide sunscreen for their students through their School Grant or through their Parents & Citizens Association. No data is collected centrally on the provision of sunscreen.
(iii) It is understood that all Wheatbelt schools have adopted a policy of "no hat, no play".
This will be determined at the local level. Data is not collected centrally.
(g) The Public Transport Authority (PTA) has responsibility for managing contractors that transport students in country areas. In the case of Wheatbelt schools that operate in Zone B and where records are available, 200 of 246 or 81% of buses that undertake this task are air-conditioned. Advice from PTA is that as older buses are retired, replacement buses will be air-conditioned. In addition, there are 31 buses that operate in Zone C that are also air-conditioned. (Map 2)
(h) (i) Schools regularly monitor behaviour in the classroom and playground and are required to report incidents and suspensions. This data is entered and collated electronically.
(ii) See (h)(i) above
(i) The Department will be operating two programs that overlap 1 December 2007 to 1 March 2008:
VacSwim
: Approximately 5% (159 applicants) of the total pre-enrolment in Wheatbelt towns will have lessons between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
Interm
Swimming
Program
: Approximately 22% (1300 students) will attend lessons between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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