Feet First Walk to School Every Week is a national programme run by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

The purpose of Feet First Walk to School Every Week is to support local and national strategies regarding reducing emissions from private vehicles and moving to more sustainable transport.

Feet First Walk to School Every Week runs for the entire year and schools are able to participate in a range of walking and education activities that suit the schools existing programmes and needs.

Walking to school is a daily activity that can make a huge difference to a childs health and social development and to the environment. Feet First is a programme that encourages primary school students to walk to school with a caregiver, a friend, or on a walking school bus.

Classroom based resources, online activities (school blogs and diaries), promotional material (posters, class progress chart and diaries), and incentives will be available for schools to incorporate into their schools specific walking programmes. All curriculum resources have been developed in consultation with principals, teachers and education advisors and will be available in Maori and English.

Online registrations are open throughout the year on the Feetfirst website. www.feetfirst.govt.nz

A wide range of curriculum resources

Feet First supports school based curriculum using the principles stated in Page 9 of the New Zealand Curriculum document.  Feet First Walk to School Every Week curriculum resources are also being developed around the following term themes:

Term 1: Walking and Being Safe

Term 2: Walking and Exploring Science and Social Science curriculum areas

Term 3: Walking and Creating Creative Thinking

Term 4: Walking and Helping the planet Environmental Education

These curriculum-based themes have a wide range of resources and materials associated with them and are available on the Feetfirst website.

All curriculum and resources will be provided in Maori and English medium.

The Feet First programme, curriculum and resource have been developed in consultation with principals, teachers and education advisors.

Online participation

The Feet First website focuses on building an online walking community.

Schools are able to link their walking blogs and develop weekly walking diaries that include stories, pictures and digital videos to the Feetfirst website via a Map Pin (on a map of New Zealand). Students will be able to visit their individual school and other participating schools blogs through the Map Pins.

Weekly data will be collected on how many people walked or travelled sustainably to school (at least once).

Resources

Free sustainable travel, climate change, and road safety resources and materials which support the Future Focus Principles (p9) of the New Zealand Curriculum will be available.

Resources can be downloaded and printed materials (progress charts, posters, diaries, bookmarks and parent information booklets etc) ordered online on the Feetfirst website.

Governance

Feet First Walk to School Every Week is managed by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) with the support of area and regional co-ordinators, a principals and teachers reference group, Living Streets Aotearoa, sustainable education advisors, road safety coordinators and walking school bus coordinators.

For further information please visit the Feetfirst website or email feetfirst@nzta.govt.nz