Max Hatzoglou
Students from University Park Primary School in St Albans will join over 350,000 school goers across the country taking part in this year’s National Ride2School Day on Friday the 25th of March.
Since 2017, the school has participated in the initiative that aims to celebrate active travel and working towards helping children get their 60 minutes of daily exercise by riding a bike to school.
University Park Primary School Physical Education teacher Tamara Elshaar said the day was so successful when they first started the day which led them to winning a prize for having high numbers of students riding their bikes to school.
“We actually did it so well in our first year that we won a prize where we had a pump track delivered to our school for a special one off sort of event,” Ms Elshaar said.
“It was pretty cool, it was a temporary bmx track that they set up for the kids so they could ride it during recess and lunch.
“That was a pretty big hit for our kids.
Since returning to campus from lockdowns, Ms Elshaar is hoping to create more awareness around the health benefits of riding to school and staying active.
“We’re trying to encourage students and families to be active and make it a part of normal everyday life,” she said.
“Instead of catching the two-minute car ride with parents and carers to school, we want them to try and do a 10 or 15 minute walk to school.
“It has more benefits in the long run and that’s what we’re trying to promote with the kids and families.
The school has introduced a bike education program through its PE classes, which teaches the basics of bike riding including how to ride safely.
Bicycle Network general manager of Behaviour Change, Leyla Asadi, said that National Ride2School Day is a great time to discover the joy of riding and kick-start healthy habits for the future.
“Riding to school is free and fun and can also help students perform better in the classroom. Studies have shown students arrive at school energised, alert and more ready to learn,” Ms Asadi said.
“National Ride2School Day is a great introduction to the wider program and can be the catalyst to creating a school of healthy, self-confident, active students,”
