Starting Kindergarten is an exciting time for students and families at Dural Public School. There are so many things to learn; new routines, new friends, new teachers and of course, getting to and from the new school.

The Kindergarten teachers at Dural Public School have been supporting their students with learning how to keep themselves safe, when travelling to and from school.

The key road safety message “Always hold a grown-up’s hand you’re on the footpath” has been the focus for several activities.

Shared reading

First, students read along with the e-book “Who is out walking?” to find out who is keeping safe by holding a grown-up’s hand. The e-book highlights strategies for students if they can’t hold a hand, such as holding on to a grown up’s bag, trolley, pram or wheelchair.

School walk

With the support of their teachers, students explored the school’s main entry and exit points, identifying the places where they need to hold a grown-up’s hand.

The very busy Old Northern Road provided students with some serious, local safety issues to discuss, including:

• dangers to look out for when walking on the footpath
• why the footpath isn’t a safe place to play
• how to keep safe in these places
• the importance of always holding a grown-up’s hand.

Keeping safe

Once back in the classroom, students were able to identify the grown-ups in their lives who help to keep them safe. They drew detailed pictures of themselves, safely holding their grown-up’s hand on the footpath.

Practising with a grown-up

The end of the school day provided a great opportunity for students to put their learning into practice. Students were encouraged to share their drawings and learning with their parent/carer.

Dural Public School regularly shares road safety information with parents and carers so they can reinforce safe behaviours when travelling to and from school.

This information is available for schools on our Road safety education webpage - Promoting safe travel

Log in to Safety Town for teaching and learning activities to support this e-book and many others. Schools can order hard copies from Transport for NSW. Contact your local Road Safety Education Officer for other ideas and support.