Further guidance for schools planning their approach to road safety education.
Q. Where can I find a policy for our school or organisation which will help us develop Road Safety as a whole school approach?
A. Waka Kotahi has a sample school road safety education policy which can be used as an exemplar.
Road safety is also strengthened through communicating with the community, including parents, whānau and caregivers, to address concerns and solve problems. Schools can download resources to support this work.
Resources for school community partnerships
Q. Where can I access local providers of Road Safety Education?
A. There are many providers of road safety education across New Zealand. For curriculum materials and support for the whole-school approach, Waka Kotahi has a large collection of resources which are free, editable and available to download.
The New Zealand Police can often help locate quality providers of road safety skills and training. Contact your local Police station and ask for a Police School Community Officer.
New Zealand Police School Portal(external link)
Many local authorities and some cycling groups provide road safety training and safe cycling education. Instructors may have a Cyclist Skills Training Qualification. Find out more about BikeReady, New Zealand's national cycle education system.
Q. When is the best time to include Road Safety Education?
A. Appropriate learning experiences can be provided for all ages – using the roads is part of everyone’s life every day. Road safety education can be included seamlessly into the curriculum, with both primary curriculum resources and secondary curriculum resources available online.
The Road Map directs schools and communities to road safety education resources relevant for each stage of a child’s development.
Teacher guide to road safety education
Q. What is the role of teachers in Road Safety Education?
A. Teachers have an important role as they know each student’s prior learning, strengths and needs. They may integrate road safety curriculum resources into day-to-day classroom learning, tailoring these to meet student needs and to address issues and opportunities in the local environment. Teachers may also coordinate learning experiences with providers such as Police School Community Officers.
Q. Where does road safety education fit in the NZ Curriculum?
A. As students learn the attitudes, skills and behaviours needed to be safe road users, they are fulfilling the New Zealand Curriculum vision of being informed decision-makers, and contributors to the well-being of New Zealand.
Road safety is a context for the principle of future focus, especially citizenship, and values such as integrity, respect, and community and participation.
Students who experience road safety education integrated into curriculum delivery can develop key competencies in a relevant and engaging context, and meet achievement objectives across most learning areas. See teacher resources for detailed examples.
Q. What type of curriculum materials are available online?
A. Waka Kotahi has secondary and primary curriculum resources for download, use and modification. All are aligned to the NZ Curriculum. Secondary resources, including sample lesson plans, are arranged by learning area. Some assessment resources for NCEA are also available, and have been quality assured by NZQA.
Primary curriculum resources cover rail, cycle, passenger and pedestrian safety and are arranged by learning area. Resources for Māori-medium education are included.