School Sport Unit

Version control: Original 1999/ Updated 2003/ Updated 2015/ Updated 2019/ Updated May 2025/ Updated Oct 2026

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Introduction

Teachers must follow these Specific sport and physical activity guidelines together with the Sport and physical activity procedures and Supporting tools and resources to meet duty of care and manage risks effectively at the local level.

All teachers delivering sport and physical activity should be familiar with the Concussion information and protocols included in the Supporting tools and resources and have completed the School Sport Unit - Recognising and responding to concussion MyPL online course.

The guidelines support safe, inclusive and compliant sport delivery through:

• weekly school sport
• one-off events or gala days
• the Representative School Sport Pathway.

They outline compliance measures to address inherent risks, offer advice on modifying traditional rules and equipment to reduce risk, and provide guidance on adapting activities to support the inclusion of all students.

Key

The following key indicates the level of teacher qualification required to deliver a specific activity as part of a school sport program:

(Green) – No sport-specific professional learning or accreditation required.

(Yellow)– Sport-specific professional learning and/or accreditation recommended as needed to build teacher knowledge and confidence, depending on experience and competition level.
(Red) – Sport-specific professional learning and/or accreditation mandatory.
(Black)– Banned activities. No level of qualification allows these activities in school programs. 

Note: This key does not determine the WHS risk level for an activity. It may inform local risk assessment as one component of the broader WHS risk management process, as outlined in the WHS Risk Management procedure.

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Definitions

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Sport climbingHigh risk (Red)

Sport climbing, also known as indoor rock climbing, has the following characteristics:

• involves climbing on artificial climbing walls with fixed or interchangeable holds
• may include top-rope climbing, auto-belay climbing, bouldering or traversing
• requires specialist equipment, facility safety systems and instruction in safe climbing, belaying, lowering, falling and landing techniques
• involves risks associated with height, falls, harness fitting, rope attachment, belaying, auto-belay systems, landing areas, fall zones and collision with other climbers
• requires qualified or experienced instructors, active supervision, appropriate facility procedures and participation matched to student age, ability, experience and maturity.

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Teacher/instructor qualifications and experience

Teacher and instructor

The adult leading instruction in sport climbing must have current and relevant experience, skills and training to instruct students in accordance with relevant industry standards and facility procedures.

This may include qualifications, training or accreditation in areas such as:

• top-rope climbing instruction or guiding
• artificial climbing structure supervision
• sport climbing instruction
• bouldering, traversing, auto-belay use and belay instruction, as relevant to the activity being delivered.

The adult leading instruction must be competent to instruct students in the activities being undertaken, including:

• correct wearing and fitting of harnesses
• attachment to rope or auto-belay systems
• top-rope belaying
• use of auto-belay units
• safe bouldering skills
• safe traversing skills
• falling, landing and lowering techniques.

At least one session instructor must hold a current Senior First Aid certificate.

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Permission

All students must have parent/carer permission to participate in sport climbing.

See Permission page for more information.

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Supervision

Facility staff and teachers must actively supervise climbing activities at all times.

Supervision ratios may need to be increased depending on the nature of the activity, age, experience, ability and maturity of students, venue characteristics, facility procedures and the experience of instructors and supervisors.

Only students who have been taught and assessed as competent by a qualified belay instructor may belay.

For initial belay training, the instructor to student ratio must not exceed

• 1:10.

Once initial belay training is complete and students have been assessed as competent, the instructor to student ratio must not exceed

• 1:10 pairs, being 10 climbers and 10 belayers.

Students under 11 years of age, or under the minimum age allowed by the facility, must not belay.

Students under 11 years of age, or under the minimum age allowed by the facility, must be belayed by a belayer who has been instructed and assessed by the facility.

Belayers under 18 years of age must be supervised by an adult.

Increased supervision must be arranged in consultation with the climbing facility for students with additional needs or where special circumstances require it.

Instructors may be included in the supervision ratio. However, a teacher must be present for each class-sized group of students to take overall responsibility for supervision and to hold duty of care.

Accompanying teachers must have completed the department’s mandatory Emergency Care training. At least one accompanying teacher must hold current department-approved CPR training.

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Equipment

A first aid kit that meets the checklist in the First Aid Plan, as outlined in the department’s First aid procedure, is required.

Sport climbing equipment

• All climbing equipment must conform to recognised standards, such as UIAA or CE standards.
• The facility must have a regular equipment inspection and maintenance program in accordance with manufacturer's instructions.
• Equipment inspection and maintenance records must be available on request.
• Harnesses, ropes, carabiners, belay devices, auto-belay units, anchors, mats and other safety equipment must be checked by facility staff before use.
• Equipment that is damaged, faulty, worn or unsuitable must not be used.
• Students must use equipment that is appropriate for their age, size, ability and the activity being undertaken.

Personal safety

• Students must wear comfortable clothing that allows safe movement, such as T-shirts, singlets, shorts, school sport uniform and sports shoes.
• Clothing must not be excessively loose fitting, to avoid being jammed in equipment or caught on climbing holds.

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Venues

Pre-activity venue checklists, available in Supporting tools and resources, may assist staff to inspect the venue before the activity.

Sport climbing must be conducted on purpose-built artificial climbing walls at a climbing facility or other venue specifically designed, equipped and managed for sport climbing activities.

The facility must provide the school with a risk assessment for all activities students will participate in.

The facility’s operations must conform to relevant Australian Standards and industry practices.

Artificial climbing structures must meet or exceed relevant recognised standards, such as the AS 2316.1 series for artificial climbing structures and challenge courses, or equivalent recognised international standards.

Schools must use a top-rope climbing facility that employs a dual attachment system, for example, clipping into 2 locking carabiners or using a tie-in and clip-in system.

Bouldering must only occur in a designated bouldering area with appropriate safety matting.

Traversing must only occur on a traversing wall designed so that the climber’s feet can never be more than one metre above the ground, with appropriate soft fall below.

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Safety

Supervising teachers and students must be briefed by the instructor on all safety requirements before participating in sport climbing.

The safety briefing must include:

• use of equipment
• the cooperative nature of the activity
• basic climbing techniques
• belaying
• lowering off
• falling and landing
• use of auto-belay units, where applicable
• communication between climbers, belayers, instructors and supervisors
• safe working practices and facility rules.

Students must be extremely attentive when belaying and when moving through the climbing environment. Students who do not display an appropriate and responsible attitude to belaying or the climbing environment must be removed from the activity.

For roped climbing activities, instructional staff must physically check each student’s harness for correct fitting and attachment before allowing the student to climb.

Students must use the buddy system to monitor each other’s safety, including checking harness wearing and attachment set-up before commencing a climb.

Students must be belayed or auto belayed while climbing on a wall in the roped climbing area of the facility.

Only students who have been taught and assessed as competent by a qualified belay instructor may belay. School supervising staff should record this induction on the activity roll.

For top-rope climbing, students and supervising staff must be instructed in:

• correct fitting of an approved safety harness
• correct attachment to the facility’s belay systems
• correct use and control of belay systems, including auto-belay systems, where applicable
• keeping the minimum amount of slack in the system
• safe lowering of the climber
• facility safety rules.

The belayer and climber must double check each other for correct harness wearing and attachment set-up before commencing a climb.

Belayers must be appropriately anchored in top-rope activities.

Climbers must lower off the wall in controlled and non-dynamic movements.

Students must be taught to belay with a UIAA or CE approved device. Where a running belay is used, it must be directly supervised by an instructor and conducted in accordance with facility procedures.

For bouldering, students must only climb in designated bouldering areas with appropriate safety matting.

Before participating in bouldering, students must be instructed in:

• correct use of the bouldering wall
• how to follow boulder problems from start to finish
• controlled descent from the top of a boulder problem
• safe falling and landing, including using soft knees, rolling with a fall and not using arms to break the fall
• only climbing to a height that they are comfortable falling or jumping down from
• keeping the fall zone clear of objects and people
• facility safety rules.

For traversing, students must only climb horizontally, close to the ground and above an appropriate soft-fall surface.

Before participating in traversing, students must be instructed in:

• correct use of the traversing wall
• how to follow traverses from start to finish
• safe falling and landing, including using soft knees, rolling with a fall and not using arms to break the fall
• keeping the fall zone clear of objects and people.

Lead climbing is a technical form of sport climbing and must only be permitted in formal lead climbing events where both the climber and belayer have appropriate experience and qualifications.

Students must not participate in lead climbing as part of general school sport climbing activities.

Glasses should be secured and long hair tied back.

Students must remove jewellery and other ornaments likely to cause injury.

Students must not participate or continue to participate if injured. If a teacher or instructor suspects an injury, the student must be removed and must not return until fully healed or medically cleared.

If an injury involves bleeding, follow the department's Infection Control Procedures. 

• Appendix B: Procedures for spills of blood and other body substances
• Appendix C: Procedures for contact with blood or body fluids

Where possible, ice should be available for the treatment of injuries.

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Resources 

Risk assessment support

• School Sport Unit risk management support
• Health and safety risk management

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