Leeston School Launches Walking School Bus

Leeston School Launches Walking School Bus

Selwyn District Council Schools Travelwise Co-ordinator Carolyn Bennison has been busy setting up walking school buses in seven Selwyn district primary schools, and Leeston is the first one to kick off their new walking school bus. Leeston walking school bus ‘driver’ Paul Russell says being part of a walking school bus “is one small step for a child, one giant leap for Leeston School children”.

A walking school bus is a group of families living in the same neighbourhood, who form a walking group to take children in their area to and from school. The parents (or “drivers”) take turns walking along a set route to and from school, collecting children from designated “bus stops” along the way.

Children love being part of walking school buses – they enjoy the exercise and meeting new friends along the way. “It’s also a great chance for children to be aware of their environment and surroundings – last week I had a trial run with the new Leeston walking school bus and I heard a couple of children talk about the acorns they saw on the ground – you wouldn’t hear a conversation like that in a car”, says Mrs Bennison.

Today, more than half of New Zealand primary school children are driven to and from school – that’s nearly double the number from 10 years ago. And nearly one-third of New Zealand children get very little or no exercise. There is also growing concern about traffic congestion caused by vehicles around the school gate, which often creates an unsafe environment for children crossing the road and getting in and out of vehicles.  The walking school bus is an ideal solution to all of these problems. It provides a fun, safe, active and sustainable way for children to travel to and from school with adult supervision – that even the youngest students can enjoy.

“It’s great to see walking school buses working in Selwyn district. As our district is predominantly rural, we know that not all children can actively travel to and from school, but we are making a difference with lots of small changes and the benefits to the children are increased health and fitness, independence and road sense, and more children out walking means less cars on the road.”

Darfield Primary School also have a walking school bus which a group of parents set up in 2008 and they walk nearly every day, even when it snows.

“I am looking forward to getting walking school buses up and running in the other six Selwyn district primary schools I am currently working with” said Mrs Bennison. “I started with surveying parents’ interest in walking school buses, then collated and analysed the responses and have held parent meetings over the last two weeks, to get the parents together to meet each other and go through the next stage of the process. It’s quite an involved process getting them set up, but once they are, the parents of each walking school bus take the reigns and they run themselves.”

 

 

Further information: Carolyn.Bennison@selwyn.govt.nz, .