Travelling to school

School children and cyclists on a footpath

Learn about our safe and active school travel programs, resources and events.

We are committed to improving safety around schools, encouraging healthy, sustainable travel and strengthening school communities. We support schools in Darebin with a package of programs and events including WOW Darebin!, Octopus Schools, Ride2School Day and Ready to Roll.

WOW Darebin! in Term 2

This year 12 local primary schools have taken up the opportunity to be part of our WOW Darebin! program. The Walk or Wheel Once a Week program will take place for nine weeks in Term 2 on a day nominated by the following schools: Holy Name, Holy Spirit, Preston North East, Preston, Preston South, Sacred Heart Preston, St Joseph the Worker, St Joseph’s Northcote, St Mary’s Thornbury, St Raphael’s Preston, Wales Street and William Ruthven.

The WOW Darebin! program is supported by a facilitator and kit including a beautiful Golden Boot Award, plus posters and wall calendars for each class. At the end of the 8 weeks, one class in each school will win a pizza lunch and their own Golden Boot Award for outstanding participation.

WOW Darebin Golden Boot Award.png

Image: Golden Boot Award Winning Class – Kingsbury Primary School

Octopus Schools program 2026

Our Octopus Schools program promotes and facilitates safe and active travel to two or three Darebin schools. We work intensively with these schools to make travel to school healthy, active, sustainable and safe.

This year we've teamed up with St Mary's Primary School, Thornbury, and Preston South Primary School. In 2024-25 the focus was on Preston West Primary School, Reservoir Primary School and William Ruthven Primary School.

Octopus School activities include:

  • Creating safe routes to school, including Legs the Octopus footpath decals and individualised school travel maps
  • Student safe travel education including incursions
  • Initiating regular school active travel days
  • Travel surveys for students and parents
  • Audits of local transport infrastructure, including parking
  • Dr Cranky’s Bike Hospital pop-ups to prepare families for Ride2School Day – bikes are repaired, and reconditioned bikes are provided to those who need them.

Our Octopus Schools program is proudly supported by the Department of Transport and Planning's Community Road Safety Grants Program.

Ride2School Day 2026

Bicycle Network's annual Ride2School Day event took place on Friday 20 March this year. Over 400 Victorian schools joined this fun, Australia-wide celebration of riding, walking and scooting to school.

Darebin supported 19 local schools to highlight the benefits of healthy, sustainable travel. A total of 5600 students and their families took part. Participating schools received a kit of prizes and resources, plus the opportunity to win a fun smoothie bike package.

Riding with your child

Our 'Riding with your child' guide is the perfect starting point for parents who want to help their children start riding a bike. It contains tips on:

  • getting the right bike for your child
  • teaching them how to ride
  • rules for riding on footpaths, shared paths and on the road.

Download Riding with your child FAQs and tips(PDF, 306KB)

Ready to Roll – Riding to Secondary School

Our popular Ready to Roll program supports Grade 6 students transitioning to Year 7 to improve their on-road bike riding skills. The program covers the following topics and meets the needs of students starting secondary school who may be riding their bike on the road for the first time:

  • bike handling skills
  • road and path rules
  • communication with other road users
  • defensive riding techniques
  • safe journey planning.

This year we offered the program to all Darebin secondary schools for the 2025–26 summer holidays and four schools and the following opted to take part: William Ruthven Secondary School, Preston High School, Thornbury High School and Northcote High School. Information and booking details will be provided in schools communications. 

Learn more about the program by watching the Darebin's Ready to Roll video. 

More information

To find out more about Darebin's active travel to school initiatives please email safetravel@darebin.vic.gov.au.

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