Do the national school safety rules apply to school sport and away fixtures?

Yes, at public schools. The Regulations for Safety Measures at Public Schools (GN 1040 of 2001, amended by GN R.1128 of 10 November 2006 to cover school tours and sporting activities) apply to all public schools in South Africa. They define a school activity as any educational, cultural, sporting or social activity of the school, on or off the school premises. That includes practices, home and away fixtures, festivals and tours.

The South African Schools Act (as amended by the BELA Act, 2024) uses a similar definition: any official educational, cultural, recreational or social activity of the school, within or outside the school premises.

For school sport, the key rules cover:

• departmental approval when learners are transported;
• adult-to-learner supervision ratios;
• written information to parents, written consent and no indemnity forms;
• medication and medical information;
• transport, injuries and incident reports;
• water safety, alcohol and drugs;
• the bans on corporal punishment and initiation.

Independent schools have separate regulations (GN 975 of 2004), so these answers apply to public schools only.