Key Priority Area
Supporting students to walk, ride or scoot to school promotes daily physical activity and builds lifelong healthy habits.
Active Travel is one of the simplest ways to increase students' daily physical activity, often by building on the routes, partnerships and facilities your school already has.
Active Travel involves walking, riding, scooting or using other active forms of transport to travel to and from school. It is supported by school planning, community partnerships and safe travel initiatives that encourage active travel as part of everyday life.
Makes physical activity a natural part of every student's day.
Walking or riding with family and peers creates opportunities for conversation, friendship and connection.
Encouraging active travel reduces traffic congestion around schools, promotes environmentally sustainable travel and helps create safer, more connected local communities.
Start with simple, low-cost strategies that make active travel safer, easier and more appealing for students and families.
Explore practical ways to support Active Travel across the four implementation areas.
Build student confidence and independence to travel actively and safely
Deliver road safety education through the Health and Physical Education or Geography curriculum
Explore safe routes to school and support students to plan their journeys
Teach the health, social and environmental benefits of active travel, including sustainability
Provide bicycle education programs to develop student skills and confidence
Promote active travel as a whole-school priority and encourage participation across the school community
Raise awareness among staff, students and families about the benefits of active travel and how to overcome common barriers
Deliver school-based promotional events that encourage walking, cycling and scooting
Establish drop-off points within walking distance of the school to support partial active travel
Work with local councils to improve infrastructure and create safe environments for active travel
Advocate for initiatives such as reduced traffic zones, safe crossings and improved pathways around schools
Collaborate with community partners to support safe and accessible travel options for students
Provide safe, accessible and visible storage facilities for bicycles and scooters
Improve infrastructure that supports active travel within and around the school
Identify and address barriers to active travel through ongoing planning and improvement
Use these resources to help plan, implement and promote active travel initiatives that support safe, active and sustainable journeys to and from school. For more resources, visit the Resource Hub.
Events, campaigns and programs e.g. Ride2School, Walk Safely to School Day, Great Victorian Bike Ride.
Curriculum resources and bike education programs from Transport Victoria, Road Safety Education Victoria, AusCycling.
Resources to help schools work with councils and community organisations to improve active travel opportunities.
Guidance to help schools improve facilities, identify safe routes and create environments that support Active Travel.
This page includes resources developed by Active Education Australia together with links to external organisations that support implementation of the Active Schools Framework. External resources remain the intellectual property of their respective organisations.
Learn more about acknowledgements →
Learn how Victorian schools are implementing practical strategies to increase physical activity, improve wellbeing and bring the Active Schools Framework to life.
Explore how students refurbished donated bicycles, building practical skills while creating opportunities for active travel within their local community.
See how a purpose-built bike track, bicycle education and community partnerships are helping students develop the skills and confidence to choose active travel.
Discover how an all-weather bike track, bike education and local partnerships are helping students develop cycling skills, confidence and independence.
Choose your next step based on your school’s context and available resources.
Take the next step by assessing how students currently travel to and from school and identify practical opportunities to encourage more walking, riding and scooting.
Explore how your school's spaces, facilities and policies can make active travel safer, more accessible and easier for students and families.
Measure changes in travel behaviours, participation and student confidence to understand the impact of your Active Travel initiatives and guide future planning.
Each Key Priority Area includes implementation guidance, school examples and practical resources.
Embed movement into everyday learning.
Create inclusive opportunities for active play.
Encourage active journeys to and from school.
Deliver engaging, high-quality physical education.
Provide inclusive and meaningful school sport.
Create environments that make movement the easy choice.
Use the Resource Hub, explore school stories or connect with the Active Schools Expert Support Service to identify practical next steps.
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The Active Schools Toolkit has been developed for the Victorian Department of Education by Active Education Australia.
