AUSECO, Terms and Conditions

Terms & Conditions

Effective 12 July 2023

Quotes

A quote is valid for fourteen (14) days in the financial year in which it was given. Rates are subject to change each financial year and increases may apply. Quotes are provided for reference to the booking teacher only.

Invoices & payment

Field Studies

A 25% booking confirmation deposit is charged at the time of booking. Payment is required within fourteen (14) days upon receipt of an invoice. Should payment not be made, Auseco Education (Auseco) cannot guarantee your date and may release the date to other schools. Upon request, Auseco may issue an invoice for the entire cost of the field study (100%). Where such a request is made Auseco will make any necessary adjustments after the completion of the field study. This will be issued in lieu of a booking confirmation deposit (25%) invoice and will attract the same payment and confirmation terms to guarantee your booking, as cited above. Auseco requires a minimum charge of $585.00 + GST per field study booked.

Auseco endeavours to provide worksheets and location maps for programs fourteen (14) days prior to the field study program date, provided the deposit has been paid in accordance with the payment terms. These will be sent by email to the booking teacher, and will need to be printed in hard copy by the school for students to complete during the field study. Worksheets are subject to copyright and are provided for the sole purpose of students to complete the field study program as an aid to collecting primary and secondary data.

The school booking teacher or school representative is required to confirm the number of students attending the excursion at least fourteen (14) days prior to the excursion date, in order to ensure Auseco provides sufficient resourcing at a ratio of one (1) Auseco Field Guide to thirty (30) students. If this does not occur, Auseco reserves the right to charge for the number of students originally booked when the field study was confirmed, should this number be greater. Where fourteen (14) days confirmation has not been provided by the school, and the number of students attending a field study decreases by greater than five (5) students, Auseco reserves the right to charge for the number of students originally booked by the booking teacher or school representative.

Where Auseco cannot meet the requirements of the 1:30 ratio, Auseco will contact the booking teacher in advance of the excursion, where practical, to ensure that additional school staff members may attend. Reasons for this may include the illness of an Auseco Field Guide at late notice. Auseco will consider a discretionary financial discount in such instances. Alternatively, the booking school may reschedule to an alternate date. This will be subject to availability and the fee may differ from the original quotation.

Auseco acknowledges that school classes may not align with the 1:30 ratio. In order to preserve class groups, the booking teacher may request an additional Auseco Field Guides to attend and where this is requested, Auseco will charge a service fee of $400.00 + GST per additional field guide in addition to the per-student fee.

A 75% balance payment is charged after the delivery of an Auseco field study program. Payment is required strictly within fourteen (14) days upon receipt of an invoice. If the number of students who attend the field study is greater than the number of students orginally booked or confirmed, Auseco will prepare the final invoice and take into account this adjustment.

Payment can be made by bank transfer or via a debit/credit card payment using the details on the invoice. Please note that debit/credit card transactions incur a 1.75% surcharge.

Where a cancellation is initiated by a school booking teacher, this must be requested in writing thirty (30) days prior to the date of the field study in order to receive a refund of the booking deposit. Alternatively, schools may select a different date or program, subject to availability, within one calendar year of the original date. Auseco will transfer any deposit payments made by the school for the original booking, although the fees for the new date may change. Where cancellations are made thirty (30) days or less, prior to the excursion, Auseco reserves the right to retain the deposit funds paid, where a request for a credit transfer is not made by the booking teacher.

Virtual Field Studies

All virtual field study excursions are considered as confirmed once the payment has been made. Payment is required within 14 days upon receipt of an invoice. Should payment not be made, Auseco cannot release the link to the virtual field study or provide supporting documentation in time for your booking date.

Cancellations of any virtual field studies initiated by a school booking teacher, must be initiated thirty (30) days prior to the date of the virtual field study in order to receive a refund of your booking deposit. There is the option for a school booking teacher to rebook a different program and date, including another virtual field study or a field study program. Auseco will transfer any payments made by the school for the original booking. Where cancellations are made fourteen (14) days or less and prior to the excursion, Auseco reserves the right to retain the paid funds.

Rates and review

Rates will be reviewed and updated at least each financial year. Rates will be published on the Auseco website.

Weather policy

Programs can usually proceed in poor weather. In the event of extreme weather conditions, Auseco staff will work with the booking teacher to determine whether the excursion is to proceed. It is the responsibility of the booking teacher or school representative to contact Auseco on the out-of-hours office number listed on the Auseco website, should there be any weather-related concerns.

In accordance with risk mitigation measures for Auseco programs, it is the responsibility of the school to ensure that students attend the excursion with adequate weather protection to the activity, which may include hats, sunscreen, jumpers or raincoats depending on the conditions. In some cases (marine or wetland programs), a change of clothes and shoes must be provisioned for each student, by arrangement with the school and the student’s parent/ caregiver. Students without adequate weather protection may not be able to participate in all aspects of the activities for safety reasons.

The content or activities in a field study program are subject to change, which may be due to weather considerations or other circumstances. Any changes will be communicated to a booking teacher in advance, where practical.

Teacher responsibilities and duty of care

Active involvement and supervision is required from class teachers and supervising adults, including school support staff. They are responsible for maintaining orderly and respectful behaviour amongst their students, to ensure a positive learning environment.

Auseco operates under the Department of Education and Training Excursion Policy, which mandates the duty of care owed to the students for the duration of an excursion cannot be delegated from the school to parents, caregivers, volunteers or individuals. This is also applicable to other private education schools and providers.

Auseco Field Guides will provide some supervision, however the duty of care on the day is vested on school teachers and support staff. Auseco is committed to providing a safe environment for school children to learn about our unique built and natural environment.

Media consent

Auseco field guides may on occasion take photographs of students during the field trip. These are taken as part of Auseco’s service provided, and are for the purposes of recording the students’ activities on the day. Auseco’s photographs will be provided to the booking teacher or school representative as a part of a post-excursion pack.

Auseco may also use images of students for the purposes of promoting its field study programs, according to the following conditions.
Schools and student’s legal guardians grant Auseco the right to record the image or likeness of a student, and transfer to Auseco and its filmmaker/photographer all rights, title, and interest for the purposes of the field study program. The material recorded may be used in any way appropriate to the promotion of the field study program. Auseco is not in any way required to use any of the material.

This includes, without limitation, the literary rights and copyright of the student’s picture, photograph, silhouette or other reproductions of their physical likeness in connection with the field study program, for unlimited distribution, advertising, promotion, exhibition, and use worldwide and in perpetuity and on whatever media is known or hereafter devised.

Participants voluntarily agree to their involvement and understand that they will not be compensated in any way. Auseco in return agrees to retain the integrity of the image.

If schools DO NOT wish for photographs to be used in accordance with these conditions, please indicate this during the booking process. Schools may consent to one of the following options:

1. Photographs to be available for Auseco’s promotional purposes, as well as provided to the school.
2. Photographs provided to the school only.
3. No photographs taken. (A discount on fees is not applicable in this case.)

Student safety

All Auseco staff have Working with Children Checks and are experienced in teaching and leading groups of students outdoors.
Teachers are responsible for the orderly behaviour of students who are under instruction by Auseco field guides. Students must follow safety guidelines and instructions given by an Auseco staff member and follow directions of their school teaching staff. Students failing to follow safety guidelines may be removed from the program.

Auseco reserves the right to cease a field study where is it deemed the safety of the entire group or class of students is at risk. This includes but is not limited to, circumstances where a group of students has demonstrated they cannot follow instructions by the Auseco guide or school teacher.

Schools are also responsible for ensuring that students bring and use adequate weather protection for the conditions, as per our Weather Policy above.

Responsibility for first aid treatment rests with school staff in the first instance, and first aid kits should be carried by teachers, noting that classes may be distant from one another during programs, meaning that a shared first aid kit may not be effective.

Auseco staff are trained in providing first aid and carry first aid supplies should they be needed as a backup. Staff do not carry inhalers (Ventolin) or auto-injectors (Epipen) and any such equipment should remain with the individual student or their class teacher.

Teachers should make their field guide aware of any medical or physical conditions that may affect a student’s safe participation in the program. This includes mental health conditions. This information will be treated with respect and confidentiality by our staff. Schools are to provide additional support staff should these be required in such cases.

Students with additional physical needs such as mobility or deafness can often be accommodated on Auseco programs, dependent on the individual site and the student’s needs. Please make Auseco aware of such needs at least fourteen (14) days ahead of the program.

Risk and indemnity

Auseco field study programs involve an inherent level of risk associated with the outdoor environment.

Activities led by Auseco staff have been risk assessed. Copies of Risk Assessments for each site and its activities are available to schools.

Schools attending field study programs agree to indemnify Auseco against responsibility for any accident, loss or injury that occurs during participation in any Auseco field study program.

Auseco shall maintain current and up-to-date public liability insurance.

By booking an excursion, teachers ensure that parents / caregivers have expressly released Auseco, its employees or officers from any claim or liability arising directly from partaking in any Auseco field study program.

Copyright

All Auseco learning materials which includes worksheets, articles, online materials (including virtual field study resources), identification charts and dichotomous keys are subject to copyright within Australia. Where Auseco learning materials are distributed to booking teachers and other school representatives (customers), it is to be solely for the support of field studies or virtual field studies (intended purpose). No rights or permissions are transferred to the customer and the customer does not have the right to reproduce, amend, create or distribute the materials beyond the intended purpose. Breaches will be pursued subject to statutory provisions.