Starting a new school
Starting a new school is an exciting time for both children and parents. Whether your child is beginning infant, junior or secondary school, it’s a big transition - new routines, new faces and often a brand‑new journey to get there. We have practical guidance and helpful resources to support you in planning a safe and active journey to your new school.
Before you get started, why not discover how active travel can make a positive difference? Watch The benefits of travelling actively to school, featuring Skylar and her Papa, to see how they discovered the joys of walking together.
Starting Year R and Year 3
How could you travel to school? booklet
The How could you travel to school? booklet offers a practical guide for Hampshire parents and carers about safer, active and sustainable travel to school. It contains information and tools to help you plan your journey and find out the options available when your child starts a new school.
Drawing competition
Each year we invite children to enter the "How could you travel to school?" drawing competition. This year, we would like to find out what children enjoy most about their journeys.
- Could it be being out in nature?
- Having time to talk with friends and family?
- Could it be knowing their journey is helping promote sustainability?
- Could it be how it makes their body and mind feel before the school day?
We can’t wait to find out and see all the amazing drawings!
Online entry for the drawing competition will be opening here later this term.
Transition Time information leaflets
Starting Year R: EYFS, Reception, Infant School
Starting Year 3: Key Stage 2, Junior School
These leaflets have been designed to support you and your children as they transition to primary, infant or junior school. They will guide you through planning your new journey to school, helping you keep it as active, safe, pollution-free and sustainable as possible.
Each leaflet includes a link to an 8-minute, original and humorous Histrionics film, commissioned by the My Journey Team to inspire children in a fun and engaging way. You’ll also find follow-up activities, practical tips, and useful resources to help you make positive active travel choices wherever possible—supporting not only your child’s health, but also the sustainability of our planet.
Starting Year 7
Just the Journey maps
The Just the Journey maps have been developed to support new Year 7 pupils as they adjust to travelling independently to secondary school.
They provide information to help you plan your journey, including how long it may take to walk or cycle from your home to your new school.
See if your new school has a map available at: Just the Journey maps.
Transition Time information leaflet
Starting Year 7: Key Stage 3, Secondary School - This leaflet has been designed to support you and your child as they transition to secondary school. It will help you plan a new journey to school, encouraging travel that is active, safe, pollution-free and sustainable wherever possible.
The leaflet includes an original and humorous Histrionics film, with follow-up activities, helpful tips, and links to resources.
Way2Go Transition booklet
A great resource for helping your child start their new secondary school. Packed full of information and activities to help them plan their route and get to school safely.
Way2Go digital version - this is an editable version which can be downloaded as a Word document.
Road Safety Newsletter - Year 6 Transition
The HCC Road Safety Team want to support the next stage of your child's journey to and from school, which may be their first regular independent journey.
The Road Safety Transition Newsletter provides some great tips to help plan their journey.
RouteGuard
The RouteGuard app is a great way of allowing parents and carers to actively engage with their young people, planning routes and agreeing the boundaries for safe and independent travel. RouteGuard pairs an app on the parent's phone with an app on the young person's device and allows the parent or carer to select a series of safe zones or roads to be added to the young person’s profile. The parent would then receive a notification if their child moves out of the agreed safe zone.
Ask your school if they have signed up to RouteGuard, they can then provide you with their organisation code which will allow you to use the app.