Student Safety Travelling To and From School

When students arrive at and depart from Northside Christian College, the staff are always mindful of their safety. Recently, the College has been made aware of a concerning incident in our region. We wish to remind our College community of some strategies to further support the safety of our students as they travel to and from school.

We are aware that students travel to school in a variety of ways including walking, riding, private vehicle and catching public transport. May I encourage families to continue discussing with your children the importance of safe behaviours when travelling to and from school. If students are ever approached by a stranger, they should know to walk away and report the situation to an adult as soon as is practical.

There are a number of strategies students can adopt to stay safe when walking to and from school:

• It is generally safer to walk to and from school with an adult or with a buddy.
• Never talk to a stranger. Strangers with bad intentions often try to trick young people into helping them. Young people walking home should never talk to or answer their questions.
• Try and keep a safe distance from strangers. Do not let someone get close enough that they could grab or touch you.
• If a young person is approached, they are advised to run or walk quickly towards an area where they see people (a school, a business, a shopping centre.) Never walk into an alley or location that further isolates you.
• Families are advised to know their child’s walking / riding path to and from school. Determine a path together that is safe and most visible, even if it’s a slightly longer route home.
• When walking or riding home, students are advised to go directly to their destination and avoid travelling home via an unfamiliar or uncommon route.
• Pay attention to where you are going. Talking or texting on your mobile phone can distract you from noticing what's going on around you. When walking or riding home, it is important to be aware of surroundings - who is behind you and in front of you? Are there occupied cars parked along your route?
• If someone approaches you or tries to get your attention, get away immediately. Cross the street or walk the other way.

For more information about personal security on Melbourne’s public transport network, please refer to: Travelling Safety.

The College maintains strict rules and procedures about students leaving the College grounds during the school day. These procedures are in place to further ensure the safety of all students.

We urge all children to take care when travelling to and from school, and to report anything suspicious to their parents, the College or the police.

Our most important concern is the safety of all people within our College community. It is our collective responsibility to contribute to this by following rules and instruction and taking great care at all times.

A number of staff are available to assist if you wish to talk more about concerns in regards to travelling to and from school. Likewise, students may want to talk to a staff member about an incident. Two important members of our Student Wellbeing team are Jared Stocks, College Chaplain and Fiona Dumitrache, Head of Student Wellbeing.

Thank you for your ongoing support with this matter. 

Michael Bond, Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary School