School community partnerships
Students’ learning about and for a safe road/rail system is influenced by consistent messages and practices by all members of the school community. This membership includes parents, students, whānau, school staff, police, and territorial authorities.
School community partnerships may be evident by:
- Contribution of school community members in maintaining a road safety education policy.
- Enthusiasm from parents/whānau for road patrol duty.
- Road safety units that include home school partnerships.
- Parent/guardians adhering to guidelines/rules designed to improve safety e.g. minimising school gate congestion, vehicle and driver requirements for EOTC activities.
- Road safety messages (preferably student developed) are included in school newsletters
- Police officers and school travel planners regularly visit the school.
- The school community responds positively to reported instances of dangerous or potential dangerous road use.
- Student learning in road safety units is incorporated into policies/procedures/guidelines developed by the school and local territorial authorities which affect driver, pedestrian, cyclist and passenger behavior in the local school community.
- Students’ learning directly influences their transport and play environment. E.g. considerate road sharing, safer crossing points, road calming for safer vehicle speeds, alternative cycle and pedestrian routes away from roads, changes to the school’s road safety education policy.
A process for building school communities is identified in a range of educational programmes including:
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Road Map - Road Safety Resources for School Communities
This Road Map directs schools and communities to road safety education resources relevant for each stage of a child’s development
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Walking School Bus Resources
All the resources you need for setting up a Walking School Bus at your school
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School Travel Plans
A safe school travel plan provides an opportunity for parents, caregivers, schools and the community to work together to improve safety. This booklet was updated in June 2011 and is published online only.
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Info sheets: Hike it, Bike it
A collection of leaflets describing the things you need to know to help teach your child about staying safe on roads, cycling, walking, taking the bus and near railways.
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Home–School Partnerships online!
This site is for school leaders, teachers, and school support services advisors. It provides information, guidance, and resources to support schools in developing and building on their home–school partnerships. It also contains specific information related to the National Standards and reporting to parents, family and whānau.
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Promoting healthy lifestyles
This collection shares the experiences of schools all over New Zealand that have one thing in common – a commitment to improving their students’ nutrition, general health and well-being, by encouraging healthy eating and active lifestyles.
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Enviro Schools
The Enviroschools Foundation is a charitable trust that provides leadership, support, and opportunities that empower children and young people to work in intergenerational ways to create healthy, peaceful and resilient communities.
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Active Schools Toolkit
Physical activity is for everyone - regardless of size, skill, or ability. Physical activity is fun, easy, and often free. Physical activity can benefit learning as well as health. Sport New Zealand has produced the Active Schools Toolkit resource to help schools develop a culture of physical activity.
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Getting it Together: A Whole-School Approach to Road Safety Education
A whole-school approach is dependent on schools, parents and communities working together to plan and implement road safety strategies within the school community. This approach will be more effective if schools consider the three areas of the Health Promoting Schools Framework and the set of evidence based Principles for School Road Safety Education described in the Getting it Together: A Whole-School Approach to Road Safety Education resource.
