Want to learn how to ride a scooter safely, have fun and see the best of your local community?

The students at Parramatta Public School do this in SCOOTER CLUB – every week!

Scootering around the footpaths of Parramatta has quickly become one of the must do sports activities for Stage 2 and Stage 3 students.

The students are learning valuable road safety lessons such as:

• always wearing an approved helmet, properly fitted and fastened.
• being considerate of pedestrians and keeping to the left on the footpath.

When our road safety team asked Year 3 students ‘What happens when you come to a set of traffic lights?’ Students were able to describe the safety procedures that have been reinforced during lessons.

“We break early at the lights and pull to the left away from the road. We form 3 lines and wait for teacher instructions with crossing the road. We then walk our scooters across the road and wait on the other side for the whole group.”

Parents and carers are also engaging with the program, purchasing family sets of scooters and helmets – ensuring all family members can put their safe scootering skills into practice after school and on the weekends.

The Parramatta community are very supportive of the SCOOTER CLUB, with a local company helping stock scooters and helmets for the school.

Local councillors have also commented on ‘the school in purple’ scootering down the Parramatta River and past the new Western Sydney Stadium. When the average ride takes 1 ½ to 2 hours, riding for 8kms it’s no wonder everyone is seeing them!

Creating a SCOOTER CLUB in one of the busiest cities in Australia, didn’t come without its challenges.

The team at Parramatta Public School prioritised the safety of their students with:

• risk assessments
• action plans
• learning sequences
• a variety of communication techniques.

The teachers that guide the students around the city also use ‘find my phone’ app, so the school can always track the exact location of the scootering students and teachers.

Are you considering a program that is fun and promotes safe active travel with your students?

Why not follow the lead of Parramatta Public School and start a SCOOTER CLUB.

Not sure where to start? Contact your local Road Safety Education Officer for assistance.