The Step Up Leadership Project: Your Behaviour, Our Reputation is an education resource that encourages leadership skills in junior high school students while also teaching the importance of appropriate bus behaviour to ensure a safe journey for students, other passengers and the bus driver.
The program has supporting resources including a video available for teachers to download and use in the classroom. The program is targeted at junior high school students in Years 7–9.
School participation in the program is voluntary.
Step Up Leadership Project: Your Behaviour, Our Reputation resources
The leadership project includes 10 lessons available for use in the classroom, as well as other supporting resources for teachers to use such as a video, posters and activity sheets.
High school students who participated in the pilot program created an educational video Step Up: Your Behaviour, Our Reputation which addresses bus behaviour issues. The video demonstrates positive behaviour on buses and is part of the teachers’ education resources.
Key lesson themes
The leadership project focuses on:
leadership skills among junior high school students
students ‘stepping up’ and taking responsibility for their actions
the slogan Step Up: Your Behaviour, Our Reputation
responsible bus travel behaviour
the importance of safe travel
supporting students to develop a school based action plan to promote positive behaviour and student leadership.
Resources to download
You can download the Step Up Leadership Project: Your Behaviour, Our Reputation resource in the following formats:
Both formats include the following resources for the classroom:
Lesson plans 1–10
Promotional materials including posters
Teacher notes
Activity sheets for students.
A video is available to download below, however please note that it must be shown in conjunction with using the other resources in order to deliver an effective teaching message.
Headlines and news articles are displayed which show examples of negative behaviour on school buses.
A student on a school bus sits quietly while observing students, yelling, fighting, pushing and moving around the bus in an unsafe way.
The bus driver looks back at the students—he is angry and upset at the behaviour on the bus.
The student holds up a sign that says Step Up For Positive Behaviour. Students notice the sign and begin to settle down.
Other students hold up signs including advice such as:
Step up—respect the rules
Step up —for the safety of others
Step up—for a safe journey home
Step up—for your safety
Step up—show your manners
Step up—show respect
Step up—show leadership
Step up—for our friends
Step up—for our generation
Step up—for our future
Step up—for your rights.
The rest of the ride continues quietly and safely.
Safe Travel of School Students pilot program
The Safe Travel of School Students pilot program was conducted during terms 1 to 3 in 2013. The design of the pilot program was to educate students about safe bus behaviour and reduce school students’ inappropriate behaviour when travelling on buses.
Junior high school students from 5 high schools on the Gold Coast participated in the pilot program. Principals, teachers and students from these schools were involved in the development of the video and the accompanying leadership project resource.
The program was supported through activities such as:
messages in forums, posters and school magazines
presentations at school assemblies
leadership day for junior secondary students
education for bus drivers on the code of conduct for students
on-board bus spot checks of student tickets/travel passes
school programs and correspondence.
The Department of Education and Department of Transport and Main Roads worked together during the pilot program.
