Students at St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School in Regents Park will be lacing up their shoes and stepping towards a healthier future this Friday.
Returning for the 24th year, National Walk Safely to School Day aims to raise awareness of the benefits that regular walking to school can provide for the long-term well-being of children, not just on May 19, but every day.
Championed by the Pedestrian Council Australia, the initiative also encourages positive environmental action and encourages parents and carers to walk more, reducing dangerous traffic congestion around schools.
Ahead of National Walk Safely to School Day, students in Years 5 and 6 at St Peter’s were thrilled to get a very special visit from Highway Patrol Command officers, who shared vital safety tips on how to walk safely to school.
“It was a great experience for our students this morning, our students were out there talking to the officers [who] were asking them questions… the students were even able to hop on the motorbikes,” St Peter’s Kindergarten teacher Andrea El-Tahan said.
“I think having this opportunity highlights the importance of the event we will be hosting [for National Walk Safely to School Day].
“To mark the day, we’re inviting all our students and families and encouraging them to walk to school, we’ll meet at a local park next to our school at 8am on Friday for a healthy breakfast and from there, as a community we’ll walk back to school.”
El-Tahan said the event allows the local school to highlight the benefits of walking regularly and to share safety advice with the families of the students.
“They say until [children] are 10, children should be holding an adult’s hand when crossing the road, and this is a message we’re trying to put out to our families because a lot of our students are 10 and under,” she said.
The national initiative also promotes healthy eating and encourages schools and P&Cs to host a Healthy Breakfast, like St Peter’s, on the day.
“The extremely disturbing childhood obesity epidemic continues to affect one in four children at critical levels across Australia,” Harold Scruby, Chairman and CEO of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, said.
“The best exercise for all Australians is walking regularly. Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
“We should encourage them to take a walk before school, during and at end of their day.”
This year, the event will also combine with National Road Safety Week, which highlights the impact of road trauma and ways to reduce it. For more information on National Walk Safely to School Day and how to get involved go to http://www.walk.com.au/WSTSD.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.