Benefits of the programme

The student leadership programme:

• provides leadership opportunities for older students as they work to become 'student leaders'
• helps safety on the bus — while student leaders can assist adults, they cannot be used as a replacement for an adult supervisor
• formally recognises a student's leadership abilities — with the walking school bus but also across the wider school
• builds and maintains connections across different age levels at the school.

Getting started

All Year 5 to 8 students can express interest in the student leadership programme. Your school may want to include criteria for this. For example, a student will need to have completed 2 walking school bus tickets (50 walks) to be considered.

Once a group of potential student leaders have been identified, they start their leadership training with a lunchtime workshop.

Students attend a workshop

We'll set up a lunchtime workshop. Sessions run for about 20 to 30 minutes and cover:

• everyone's roles and responsibilities
• an overview of the licence process
• the skills involved for each licence level
• what is expected of them as leaders and role models
• road safety, including specific safety issues in their area
• activities to keep others entertained on the walking school bus — students are encouraged to come up with ideas during the workshop.

At the workshop students receive:

• their learner licence in a clear pocket with a lanyard
• a high visibility vest.

Student leader licence levels

To complete the leadership programme students progress through 3 licence levels. They start with a learner licence and move on to restricted and then full when they demonstrate the required skills for each.

Each stage is signed off by the adult in charge of the walking school bus. The responsibilities for each licence are written on the back of the licence card and are explained to the students during the workshop.