RONDEBOSCH BOYS HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS TOURING POLICY and PROCEDURE POLICY: Purpose and value Sports tours form an essential part of the Higher and Wider concept at Rondebosch Boys High School and contribute significantly to the holistic education in which we believe. Tours can give boys the opportunities they would otherwise not have had and also help in promoting the school as an institution of excellence. Sports tours motivate players, build school spirit and stimulate improvement in sport. They also have cultural and educational value and form part of a wider extracurricular programme. Tours should have educational aspects built into them in which boys are expected to participate. In addition, cultural activities like debating and chess could join in with a sports tour. Tours must generate suitably strong competition and overseas tours should be seen as a culmination of reaching the highest level at the School. A condition of a learner going on tour is that participation in other extra-mural activities and commitment to the academic programme is expected and that the learner does not confine himself exclusively to the preparation for such a tour. In the event of a learner s academic performance being below par, permission to tour may be withheld. Dates and duration of tours must be carefully considered so as not to clash with the regular school programme. Taking days off school for such activities is not permissible in terms of Department of Basic Education policy. Usual school rules and the Code of Conduct apply on tour. Where necessary disciplinary procedures may be followed immediately after the conclusion of the tour. Any learner involved in a serious breach of discipline can be suspended immediately from participation in the tour by the Tour Leader, where possible in consultation with the Headmaster, which shall be a precautionary suspension after a summary investigation and interview of all parties involved. Such suspension may be partial or total. Any altered arrangements shall be subject to funds being available in the tour funds. Tours should be organised well in advance, so that parents can make the necessary arrangements. This is also critical for planning the year calendar. PROCEDURE 1. Annual Tour Cycle The school will retain a record of tours and festivals that are usually attended in the annual sport cycle and these will be reflected on the Blue Card.
The process of granting permission for new local and any international tours is as follows: The person-in-charge of a sport approaches the Head of Sport with a proposal. The Tour Leader is nominated in the report, and is usually the person-in-charge of a sport. The proposal is taken to the Headmaster. If the Headmaster approves it, the proposal is tabled at the Management Committee, and in the case of an international tour, after consultation with the Chair of the Governing Body. If approved, this is reported to the Board of Governors. Only then may the tour be put on the calendar. 2. Overseas Tour Cycle Overseas tours will be undertaken by the four major team sports. These sports may invite a sport from another code but from the same season to accompany them on the tour. Other sporting codes may apply to the Headmaster to tour through the process in 1 above The overseas tour cycle is: 2013 Water Polo 2014 Cricket 2015 Hockey 2016 Rugby The cycle is repeated every four years. Changes to the tour cycle must follow the procedure (in 1 above) in which tours are permitted. Sporting codes may exchange touring years in agreement with the Headmaster without increasing their overall tour frequency. 3. Overseas Tours Overseas sports tours are the prerogative of 1st teams. This principle may be reviewed under special circumstances. Sports going on tour need the permission of their Provincial/National Unions. The squad should be announced as soon as possible after permission has been granted to go on tour. The coaches will prepare the team, assist with organisation, help with fund raising and discipline on tour. Each member of the touring squad is guaranteed selection in at least one third of the tour matches, subject to illness or injury. Staff costing is to be built into the tour fund. The tour will pay a reasonable S&T allowance. This must be determined according to the exchange rate. The number of staff is to be determined by the size of the touring party. Usually the ratio is 7-10
boys per staff member. The duration of a tour is determined by the head of the sport and the deputy in charge of Sport. Timing Guideline for arrangements: 12 Months before the tour: Investigate feasibility, obtain quotes, meet with the parents, allow parents to vote on the feasibility of a tour, present results to the BOG. Obtain permission from the Headmaster if academic time is lost. Second meeting with parents to give feedback on the voting. Tour committee to be elected. 9 Months before the tour: Committee to choose and interview Tour Operator. Apply for passports and visas. 6 Months before the tour: Branding to be finalised and kit to be ordered. 4 Months before the tour: Team (players, reserves, coaches and staff) to be finalised. The Tour Operator must arrange with the host parties appropriate standby and emergency medical services at events. 4. Domestic Tours and Festivals Once approval has been obtained, costs may be incurred against the tour with regard to transport, accommodation and tournament fees as well as other relevant costs. Costs 5. General The following are to be built into the costs of a tour: Travel. (Flights, car hire and bus hire) Petrol where relevant Accommodation Tournament fees Tour kit arranged by coach/manager Provision (e.g. medical, motoring costs, excess baggage) Additional meals not covered by the tournament fee Master s allowance Gifts for host/s Green fees, caddies fees. Costs must be divided equally between the boys proceeding on the tour. Any exception to this must be approved by the Head of Sport. Communication
Once the tour costs are known a letter to tour parents must be prepared and distributed to parents of boys in the tour group. The letter must indicate the following: Travel details (e.g. flights and times) Cost and payment deadline Fixture details if available Accommodation details Name and contact details of accompanying staff member(s) Bedding and towels required. Where to get copies of IDs to. Where possible the letter should be distributed 2 months prior to departure. The payment deadline should be two weeks before the tour departure. The manager must ensure that he is aware of any medication/medical conditions that the boys need to take while on tour. The tour manager is to ensure that the tourists meet with the headmaster or head of sport prior to departure. Payments As much as is reasonably possible payments should be made by the school by EFT. On the payment deadline the head of the sport must check on the progress of payments and chase up on outstanding payments. Team Travel All members of a team are required to travel together and on the same flight, where relevant. The Head of Sport must approve of a team travelling with anyone other than a staff member (coach, parent.) All travel bookings are made on the assumption that the team will travel together. Parents must obtain permission for boys to not travel with the team. If a parent approaches the school before the teams flights are booked, separate arrangements may be made. Parents of boys not travelling with the team will be responsible for making changes to secured bookings, at the parents cost. The boy travelling separately will be appropriately discounted for the travel costs not incurred on tour. Surplus Funds Any existing tour balance will be held until the school is satisfied that there are no outstanding tour payments to be made. If the final balance is at least R200 per player for domestic tours and R500 per player for international tours, the balance will be repaid to the parents provided that the relevant bank details are supplied to the school when requested. If the final balance is less than R200 or R500, as the case may be, the available funds will accrue to a collective tour fund for that sporting discipline. 6. Fund Raising
A budget must be drawn up by the appointed member of the committee as a priority before any fundraising begins or monies are paid in by parents. This budget must be approved by the Headmaster in consultation with the Bursar. This will allow the School to monitor expenses and income. This budget must be published for all parents to see and have access to. Parent committees will form the basis of any fundraising and organizational activities for overseas tours only. This committee may be chaired by a parent but any decision must be passed through the head of sport and the Headmaster. The Headmaster or his appointed representative must form part of the committee, and is appointed Tour Organiser. This may be the person in charge of the sport or a coach. The committee may be comprised as follows: Chairperson (parent), Treasurer (parent with accounting background), staff including the Tour Leader, players (this person to represent the boys), one person from the marketing department (for branding etc.) The Chairperson and Treasurer of the parents committee should compile a fundraising activities report for the guidance of subsequent tour groups. The Chairperson may recommend any updating or amendment of this policy to the Headmaster. Fund raising by the parents, by way of drives, sponsorship, etc. is not allowed unless such a drive has been proposed to and allowed by the School management committee. Where fund raising is allowed, boys in the tour squad must be involved. All fundraising must be paid into an official school account. The tour squad would be responsible for raising the necessary funds and boys whose parents are unable to afford the tour would be expected to make an appropriate contribution. 7. Compliance with safety regulations 1 The Headmaster ensures that the Tour Leader takes responsibility for compliance with this policy. The school must take measures to ensure the safety of learners during any school activity, including insuring against accidents, injuries, general medical expenses, hospitalisation and theft that may occur, depending on the availability of funds. The educator-learner ratio must be at least one adult per 30 boys. The school must take measures to ensure that if a learner is on medication and will require medication during the course of the tour, the parent has seen to it that the learner has sufficient quantities of the medication for the duration of the tour; 1 GN 1040 of 12 October 2001: Regulations for safety measures in public schools
if it is necessary for a learner to carry a doctor's prescription for medication, the parent has provided the learner and the Tour Leader with certified copies of such prescription; a parent is advised to report to the school, in writing, the medical condition of a learner; before a tour, the principal provides the Tour Leader with a report on the medical condition of a learner; and a parent is informed about any travelling to or through a high-risk disease area during the course of the school activity. The school must take measures to ensure that, if a learner is injured or falls ill during the course of a school activity and requires medical treatment, the Tour Leader takes measures to contact the parent of the learner concerned in order to obtain consent for such medical treatment; and determines whether or not to consent to such medical treatment if he or she is unable to contact the parent of the learner. Immediately after returning from a school activity, the Tour Leader must submit a report to the principal if any of the following has occurred accident; injury to a learner, educator or driver or to any other person; or any act of misconduct on the part of a learner, educator or driver or of any other person. The report must include the following information The nature of the incident; the nature of the injury, if applicable; the time, date and place of the incident; procedures that were followed in dealing with the incident; and the name of the supervising educator. The principal must submit the report to the official who approved the school activity and to the chairperson of the school governing body. Annexures Annexure A: Sample of budget/costs (domestic tour). Annexure B: Sample of letter regarding a domestic tour. Annexure C: Tour authorization form.