Supervision Plans — Are They Real, or Just Paper?
When I was a teacher, I quickly learned that “supervision” isn’t just about ticking off ratios on paper. You can meet every legal number under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 and still feel stretched, stressed, and constantly on edge.
That’s where the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) comes in — and why having a strong, practical supervision plan is so important.
What HSWA Really Means
HSWA doesn’t just ask, “Are the ratios met?” It asks whether you’re doing what’s reasonably practicable to keep everyone safe. That includes:
Ensuring children can be seen and heard at all times
Providing enough staff to cover breaks, transitions, and high-risk moments
Managing fatigue and workload so staff can actually respond if something goes wrong
Ratios are a legal minimum, not a safety guarantee. Even if the numbers are correct, your team can still be at risk if supervision isn’t realistic or practical.
Supervision Plans — Are They Real?
Here’s the reality check: how many staff have actually seen the centre’s supervision plan? Too often, these plans exist only on paper — filed away for audits, briefly mentioned during inductions (if you are lucky), and then forgotten.
But ratios and plans only work if they’re:
Visible: staff can find and refer to them easily
Practical: reflecting the centre’s real day-to-day operations
Shared: everyone knows their role and responsibilities
If your plan is hidden, full of jargon, or based on a perfect staffing day that never happens, it’s not really meeting HSWA.
Making Supervision Plans Work
From my teaching experience, here’s what turns a plan from paper into practice:
Show the Team – Put it somewhere staff can see and refer to every day.
Walk It – Test it: if a teacher is on break, does someone else cover safely?
Update It – When layouts, numbers, or staff change, adjust the plan.
Talk About It – Use it during morning meetings, handovers, and high-risk activities.
Consider Staff Strengths – Match more experienced staff to high-risk areas or complex groups.
Bottom Line
Supervision isn’t about ticking boxes. Ratios give you a legal minimum, HSWA gives you the framework, but practical, visible, and realistic supervision plans are what keep children and staff safe.
Good supervision plans are living documents — used, discussed, and updated — not just filed away. Because real safety in ECE is about people, not paperwork.