Adventure Activities

As a Department of Education Specific Purpose Outdoor School, Rubicon teachers predominantly in the context of natural environments local to each of our campuses. We do this using adventure activities within the context of student curriculum foci and learning intentions as part of their learning. The school operates and complies with the requirements of the relevant Department of Education Excursion Policy and associated Adventure Activity Guidelines.

Our Adventure Activities:



Bushwalking

All students will take part in Bushwalking when attending our school. Bushwalking involves walking or hiking in a diverse range of outdoor settings and in a variety of tracked and untracked environments. Bushwalking occurs at our school in both onsite (campus based) and offsite in local environments.

Water Based Activities

Our school uses water based activities to teach across all areas of our curriculum. These activities occur on rivers and lakes, and in some rare instances, open water environments. Activities used within this group include Canoeing, Rafting and Sea Kayaking. Students are provided with all required technical safety equipment and support. Teaching venues (Rivers, lakes etc) are chosen based on student ability, curriculum foci of the week/day, and environmental considerations alongside broader risk mitigation practices and considerations.

Student undertake safety briefings prior to commencement that involve detailed information provided by staff as well as required controlled swim and capsize/flip scenarios when moving on the water as part of this.

Canoeing

Canoeing occurs in both hardshell and inflatable craft at our school and is used on both moving water (rivers) and flat water (lakes). Students work in pairs and are closely supported by designated staff in their engagement in the class as they not only develop their practical skills in these craft but also engage in the specific curriculum of the day. Canoeing activities conducted on open waters and moving water can pose an increased risk to student safety. The school operates and complies with requirements of the relevant Department of Education’s Adventure Activity Guidelines.

Camping

Camping is used as part of students time in outdoor environments within the context of any visitation at our school. Camping refers to staying overnight in temporary or informal accommodation. At our school temporary accommodation includes bush huts, tents and tarpaulin shelters. This occurs in a range of areas both onsite and offsite to the school’s campuses throughout Victoria. Students are provided all  technical equipment required for taking part in camping whilst at our school.

Rafting

Rafting occurs on rivers local to each of the schools campuses with students in groups of 4 to 6, experiencing river environments that consist of rapids up to Grade III which include rapids with regular features that require manoeuvring to negotiate. Passages can be narrow and features such as holes and irregular waves must be run to negotiate the rapid resulting in a higher risk of injury.

Rafts used are commercially designed with the capacity and buoyancy to carry equipment and students on both day long and extended journeys. Whilst rafting students work in small groups within the context of their larger class (12 students) often alongside one other class. Rafting activities conducted on open and moving water can pose an increased risk to student safety. The school operates and complies with requirements of the relevant Department of Education’s Adventure Activity Guidelines.

Sea Kayaking

Sea kayaking refers to the use of students moving through outdoor environments in these specialist craft. Students work within these craft as they move through either coastal, enclosed or inland water ways. Sea Kayaking regularly occurs in Inland open water which is a wide body of water that has the potential to be greatly affected by wind.

Students are equipped with individual safety equipment an supported with both detailed briefing and induction as well as ongoing assessment of their capability whilst learning in this activity. Sea kayaking activities can pose an increased risk to student safety. The school operates and complies with requirements of the relevant Department of Education’s Adventure Activity Guidelines.

Caving

Caving is an activity taught with only at our Nayook campus. At this campus we access two horizontal caving systems that traverse through caves where any fall safety mitigation can be achieved by assistance (e.g. spotting). Spotting is a support process provided by a person, or persons, who offer physical protection of the head and upper body of a person should they fall. Caving may involve walking, scrambling, crawling through narrow or low spaces, fording pools or streams and climbing up or down short rock faces/rock piles. Water hazards such as moving water may be present. A wide range of assistance can be used.

Caving takes place on the Britannia Creek, which flows down through a series of boulders that form the caves. Students are equipped with a helmet and flashlight. Caving may also take place at Labertouche caves following pre assessment of their skill and competency at Britannia Creek. Access and egress from this cave system may involve using a rope and harness, in this instance students are additionally involved in an abseiling activity.

Due to the increased risks involved in caving, staffing is increased to 1:5 to support student safety and involvement. We work closely with land managers in relation to both cave systems

Challenge Ropes

Students attending the school’s Nayook Campus, have access and may engage in learning within the school’s Challenge Ropes Course. Students are provided with detailed briefing and pre-learning induction as part of their preparation for learning in this context. Whilst Challenge Ropes courses pose an increased risk due to the height element, our course utilises what is known as a continual belay system, meaning students cannot become disconnected from the course at any time, enabling them to safely engage in their learning. Students enter the course via increasingly difficulty elements and exit via a flying fox. Due to the heights involved in a Challenge Ropes Course the activity can pose an increased risk to student safety. The school operates and complies with requirements of the relevant Department of Education’s Adventure Activity Guidelines.

Snow Activities

Snow Activities are conducted in both resort and non-resort alpine areas. Skiing at our school comprises Cross-country skiing, otherwise known as Nordic Skiing. Cross-country skiing includes skiing on groomed trails as well as, at times, on ungroomed snow. Cross-country skiing at our school can include skate style skiing and cross-country ski touring. Cross-country skiing uses skis that traditionally have a binding system with no heel connection. Instead, they have an attachment at the toe allowing a more natural walking motion on skis. Staff work with students in classes of 12 with all equipment provided by the school, covering both in depth briefings to support student success in the class, student ability to move over or through alpine environments is the main focus as they engage in identified curriculum within the context of the alpine landscape. To this end at times students may also use snowshoeing to access these environments. Snowshoeing is the use of specialist equipment that fits over normal shows to facilitate hiking/walking over snow. Snow activities can pose an increased risk to student safety. The school operates and complies with requirements of the relevant Department of Education’s Adventure Activity Guidelines.

Mountain Biking (Cycling)

Mountain Biking refers to riding a bicycle off road where a major element is the need to negotiate obstacles. Mountain biking usually occurs on unsealed surfaces, such as trails, single trails, open or rocky ground. Mountain biking often involves manoeuvring through or around obstacles such as fallen or narrowly spaced trees, creeks, mud, rocks, man-made structures, jumps and other technical features. Due to the type of terrain and obstacles to negotiate, the skills and bike design required to Mountain Bike differs from other forms of cycling.

Our school utilises Mountain Biking as part of teaching and learning as students move through our outdoor environments on a range of trails, both onsite and offsite, as well as accessing and riding at specifically designated mountain bike trail venues, or destinations. The school provides, as with all lessons, the technical and safety equipment to students which include a bike, helmet and gloves. The school supports student who have had limited riding experience to engage in their learning and experience success. Students are inducted and develop skills specific to the areas they will be riding in.

Mountain Biking can pose an increased risk to student safety. The school operates and complies with requirements of the relevant (Cycling) Department of Education’s Adventure Activity Guidelines.

Rock Climbing & Abseiling

Students attending the school have access and may engage in learning utilising Rock Climbing and/or Abseiling on both artificial (Thornton Campus only) and natural surfaces. Rock climbing is the process of moving on natural and artificial rock faces including boulders. It involves determining or following certain routes on a rock face or, in the case of artificial walls, a human made wall or structure. Naturally and artificially formed handholds and footholds are identified and used to climb. Students are issued with a harness and associated technical safety equipment. When climbing under close supervision by staff, students work in groups of three with one student climbing whilst another acts as the belayer and a backup belayer. Students may also engage in abseiling. Abseiling (sometimes referred to as rappelling) is an activity in which a person descends a rope in a controlled manner with the use of a friction device or descender. Abseiling may be used to descend a cliff face as part of a rock-climbing program or it may be practised as a separate activity by students. When abseiling, students are supported by staff to descend the artificial wall or natural rock face in a controlled manner using associated equipment. Rock-climbing and Abseiling can pose an increased risk to student safety due to the nature of the activity and the environment. The school operates and complies with requirements of the relevant Department of Education’s Adventure Activity Guidelines.