This information directly corresponds to Appendix A of the DET policy for ‘Excursions: Off School Site Activities’ to assist teachers in complying with DET’s excursion policy.

Download the complete pdf version.

Purpose of the excursion

Perth Zoo’s unique learning experiences provide Living Links to the Western Australia’s Curriculum Framework by connecting students with nature and empowering them to take positive action for our environment.

The learning experiences have been developed to cover a range of topics and have been tailored to suit different developmental stages from early childhood to late adolescence.

Click here for details regarding the range of the Zoo’s education experiences.

Assessing the environment (1.1)

Perth Zoo, located in South Perth, is primarily an outdoor venue with some undercover areas/exhibits. The Zoo is spread over 19 hectares and is home to around 1300 native and exotic animals from over 230 species. Perth Zoo also manages award-winning breeding programs for critically endangered species.

Several exhibits feature shallow, open bodies of water. Teacher supervision is important around these areas. For the safety of the animals and visitors to the Zoo, all visitors should remain on the footpaths provided when moving through the Zoo grounds.

Toilet facilities (including accessible facilities for people with disabilities) are clearly marked on the Zoo map. These toilets are accessible by the general public during the day.

Download a copy of the Perth Zoo Map.

Teachers are able to visit the Zoo prior to an excursion to assess the environment by utilising the FREE ENTRY pass that is sent out with a confirmation letter following the booking of a class visit to the Zoo. Teachers are welcome to further discuss Zoo education experiences, the facilities and areas used for activities.

Please contact Zoo Education on (08) 9474 0365.

Assessing transport arrangements (1.2)

Arranging transport to Perth Zoo is the responsibility of the school. Buses can enter the Perth Zoo car park from Mill Point Rd and park in the clearly marked bus bays.

Chartered buses and coaches are able to proceed along the service road from Mill Point Road car park to the passenger drop-off bays so that students can safely disembark before entering the Zoo.

Assessing student’s capacity (1.3)

Perth Zoo provides Living Links to a range of education experiences. These have been designed to be engaging and interactive and utilise different strategies to suit different learning styles. Two options are available to schools planning a visit to Perth Zoo:

Assisted visit: Includes a 45 min education experience which is facilitated by an Education Officer, utilising animals and artefacts from the education collection. Students are able to explore the Zoo either before or after their classroom experience under the supervision of their teachers and adult helpers.

Self-guided visit: This visit is entirely developed and facilitated by the coordinating teacher and the school supervisory team. Teachers can download education resources from the Perth Zoo website to support their Zoo experience.

Visitors to Perth Zoo are welcome to experience the variety of free keeper talks and Docent (Zoo volunteer) presentations that occur during the day.

Please discuss any special needs relating to visiting students when making a booking. Perth Zoo offers free entry to carers or essential companions of those with special needs. We accept the national Companion Card or a letter from a recognised care/social service organisation.

Perth Zoo provides sturdy, all-terrain manual wheelchairs at no cost to those who require mobility assistance (returnable $10 deposit and ID required). Advanced booking is recommended (please call (08) 9474 0343 to book a wheelchair).

Details regarding the range of the Zoo’s education experiences including teacher information packs can be found here.

Assess the capabilities of the supervisory team (1.4)

School Supervisory Team
Perth Zoo strongly suggests that the school supervisory team should include a minimum of two school staff members. Please see the section on ‘Supervision Strategies’ for information regarding FREE OF CHARGE supervision ratios.

Monitoring the physical well being and behaviour of students remains the responsibility of the school at all times.

It is the school’s responsibility to ensure that all adult helpers/teaching staff, nominated by the school, have appropriate clearances for working with children.

Assess the involvement of external providers (1.5)

Perth Zoo Education Officers are responsible for developing and presenting a range of education experiences at the Zoo. They are fully qualified teachers and possess a Federal Police Clearance.

Perth Zoo is insured by RiskCover and complies with all the public liability requirements of DET. Our policy number is R/20-6826 and the limit of liability is up to $250m. This insurance policy does not cover loss or damage of personal belongings. Please remind your students that they are responsible for their own belongings at all times.

Establish supervision strategies (2.0)

Student supervision, conduct and belongings remain the responsibility of their teachers at all times. Misconduct may result in immediate expulsion of students from Zoo grounds and a restriction on future bookings at the Zoo.

Perth Zoo strongly recommends that the following supervision ratios should be used by teachers and supervising adults (your supervisory team) as they move with their groups around the Zoo.

To assist you with your supervision requirements, Perth Zoo provides free adult entry according to the ratios outlined in the table below.

Age Group	Free of Charge Adult:Student supervision ratio
Kindergarten/Pre-primary	1:5
Yr1-Yr2	1:5
Yr3 – Yr7	1:10
Yr8-Yr10	1:10
Yr11-Yr12	1:10

Please direct your school supervisory team to stay with their group at all times.

For senior school groups (Years 11-12), please arrange to meet your students at predetermined locations around the Zoo throughout the day to ensure adequate supervision is maintained. It is advisable for teachers to maintain a visible profile, moving around with their students as appropriate.

It is also recommended that your students are provided with a focus for their observations. Perth Zoo can assist you with our Teacher Support Packs located at on the Education Experiences pages.

There are some areas in the Zoo that require special supervision:

Nocturnal House and Reptile House
Please supervise students in these exhibits. Arrange to meet there at a particular time.

The Zoo Shop
Students are welcome to visit in small groups of 10 with an adult supervisor. Avoid the rush at the end of the day and plan to visit at specific times throughout the day for this activity.

Mustering Points
The Main Lawn is a central location that is suitable to gather the class together throughout the day or before departure as the Zoo exit can become congested on busy days.

Following an education experience where students have had close contact with an animal, they should clean their hands using the hand sanitiser provided. Supervising teachers are responsible for students complying with this important hygiene procedure.

It is the responsibility of the school supervisory team to ensure that students:

Do NOT feed or interfere with Zoo animals: Feeding Zoo animals is forbidden. Please ensure that students are aware of this. Interfering with Zoo animals is illegal and offenders can be fined up to $600 (Zoological Parks Authority Regulations 2002).

The teacher in charge should have access to Student Health Information and Health Care Authorisation Plans as required.

Develop means of identifying excursion participants (3.0)

This is the responsibility of the school. School uniform or some form of easily identifiable item for each student is an option which may be considered by schools.

Develop communication strategies (5.0)

Please contact the Perth Zoo Security Coordinator at the Information Centre (Zoo Map referenced D8) if you need to urgently locate members of your group. Please note that megaphones, air-horns, school two-way radios and whistles are not permitted at Perth Zoo.

The following Zoo phone numbers may be useful for visiting schools:

Perth Zoo Education Section: (08) 94740365
Perth Zoo Administration: (08) 9474 0444

Perth Zoo strongly advises the School Supervisory team to bring a mobile phone as part of their communication plan and to have entered all relevant Perth Zoo and school-based contact numbers into the mobile phone. Please advise the Zoo of the mobile number at the time of booking your excursion and advise the cashier staff of the contact details on arrival.

Emergency Response Plan (6.0)

Perth Zoo has extensive Risk Management planning and Emergency Procedures in place. We are confident of our ability to manage and respond appropriately in an emergency response situation.

Perth Zoo conducts thorough and extensive analyses of our facility’s potential risks. Due to the nature of the venue with some recognised high risks, Perth Zoo undertakes regular risk assessments and emergency procedure drills.

The full Emergency Procedures document is very detailed and contains information that may be operationally sensitive, and therefore is not available to distribute to clients on request.

However, some of the major points covered in this document are:

• Evacuation and Safe House and Gate exit Procedures;
• Emergency Response, including maps of equipment storage and locations;
• Coded Alarm Calls for dealing with potential escape of a dangerous animal, potential life-threatening situations, fire, serious first aid incident, explosion, accident, escalating situation or public disturbance, or bomb threat;
• Emergency Procedures for Fire in various areas of the Zoo; and
• Appropriate contact lists and details for Zoo staff, 24 hours/7 days.

In addition, Perth Zoo has a nominated Emergency Coordinator, Communications
Coordinator and trained First Aid staff on duty at all times.

In the event of an emergency or serious incident, follow instruction over the public address system and directly from Security staff or other Zoo staff who will be identifiable by a Perth Zoo Security Tag.

Please be aware that the Security Coordinator can be contacted at the Information Centre (Zoo Map referenced D8) if there is a need to urgently locate members of the school group, or if First Aid assistance is required.

The teacher in charge should have access to Student Health Information and Health Care Authorisation Plans as required.

Teachers should also provide a mobile contact number for the duration of their visit so that they are easily contactable by the Zoo.

Insurance and Liability
Perth Zoo is insured by RiskCover and complies with all the public liability requirements of DET. Our policy number is R/20-6826 and the limit of liability is up to $200m. This insurance policy does not cover loss or damage of personal belongings. Please remind your students that they are responsible for their own belongings at all times.

Brief students and supervisors (7.0)

Students and the school supervisory team should be briefed by the teacher-in-charge either prior to or on arrival to Perth Zoo regarding rules and safety protocols concerning visitor conduct. Misconduct may result in immediate expulsion of students from Zoo grounds and a restriction on future bookings at the Zoo.

Please remind students that they are sharing the Zoo grounds with other school groups and members of the general public so appropriate behaviour is expected to ensure an enjoyable experience for all visitors.

Please utilise the information on this document (downloadable from the Perth Zoo website) to help with briefing students and other supervising adults.