Getting children to school no easy ride for parents
Warragul Primary School is taking the lead in a program to get kids moving by encouraging them to walk or ride to school.
Partnering with Bicycle Network Victoria Warragul Primary last year held its first “Active Path” day when 128 of its students walked or rode to school. The school was a recipient of a $5000 grant which provides for installation of decals on town paths showing the way to the central Warragul campus.
Warragul Primary is helping to buck a national trend. A recent Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) survey shows that more than half of Australian children are driven to school most days of the week.
The RCH National Child Health Poll shows that seven out of ten Australian school children almost never walk or ride to school as time-poor parents juggle work pressures and family schedules - even though 52% of primary school children live less than two kilometres from school and 26% less than one kilometre.
RCH national child health poll director Anthea Rhodes said primary school-aged children needed 60 minutes of physical activity a day and walking or riding to school was a great way to provide it.
“For many children, the trip to school is short, and yet most get there by car,” Dr Rhodes said. “Work and life pressures make it hard for parents to walk or ride with their children to school, but even one day a week of active travel is better than nothing at all.”
The poll also showed that many parents know walking, riding or taking public transport to school is healthy but concerns about strangers, bullies and traffic hazards stop them from letting their children travel without an adult.
Other barriers identified by parents included school being too far from home and children having too much to carry.
Children are on average 11 years old when they first travel to school without an adult, with 45 per cent of teenagers travelling independently every day. However, one in five teenagers never travel to or from school without an adult.
Close to one in five parents have used a geolocation device to monitor the location of their child, saying tracking their child’s location made them feel more comfortable.
Fifty two per cent of parents who drove their children to school said it was the quickest form of transport while 48 per cent said it was the safest. Almost half drove to school because it fitted the family’s schedule. One in five parents said it was a good way to spend time with their child while one in six said they drove because it was their child’s preference.
Despite a majority of families relying on driving, the poll shows that many children still walk, ride or take public transport to school, either with or without an adult. One in four primary-school children walk or ride to school most days of the week, while about one third of teenagers take public transport most days of the week.
Dr Rhodes said “Walking or riding to school is a healthy habit even if you drive part of the way and walk the rest. It lets children practice road safety and it gives you time to connect with your child. If children walk, ride or take public transport to school once a week, they will learn about road safety, as well as independence and problem-solving skills.”
Warragul Primary School is looking to increase its emphasis on active school travel. The school will hold its second “Active Path” day on Friday, March 1. Principal Scott Clode said the school was enthusiastic about the initiative with plans to hold the days twice every term.