School zones back in force for 2026 from January 27 - AFP Issues Parental checklist to keep kids SAFE at school... starting with first day photos
School zones across most of NSW will be back in force from Tuesday 27 January 2026 as teachers and students begin returning for the new school year.
Transport for NSW Executive Director of Transport Safety Chadi Chalhoub said that while the first few days of the term are traditionally school development days for teachers, children may also be returning and that will continue to increase throughout the week.
“After six weeks of school holidays, school zones will be back in force from Tuesday 27 January. We expect to see an increase in activity around schools as teachers and students make their way back to the classroom for 2026,” Mr Chalhoub said.
“We know some schools return earlier than others, particularly non-government schools, so to avoid any confusion for motorists and to keep returning children safe, 40km/h school zone speed limits will be in place from Tuesday.
“There are many locations where multiple schools are close to each other and some of those schools will have different return dates. To keep everyone safe slow down around every school, obey the 40km/h speed limit, and keep your eye out for vulnerable kids embarking on an exciting new year of education.
“For students in the Western Division of the state, the school term will start a week later and school zones will be in place from Tuesday 3 February.”
School zones generally apply from 8 to 9.30am and from 2.30 to 4pm on weekdays and motorists who don’t obey the rules face heavy fines and demerits.
“There are more than 6,800 school zone flashing lights in place across NSW to let motorists know they are about to enter a school zone,” Mr Chalhoub said.
“It’s important motorists follow the rules to ensure every child and teacher gets to school and returns home safely. The best way to do this is by following the speed limit, watching out for children when they are crossing the road, and slowing down and looking out as they get on or off buses.
“Children can be curious and unpredictable around roads, so drivers need to be aware of their surroundings when travelling through school zones.
“The start of the new year is also a good opportunity for parents and guardians to remind children about road safety and teach them to Stop! Look! Listen! Think! every time they cross the road.”
Some schools have non-standard school zone times in NSW. You can identify these by the red or orange school zone signs which have the school zone times on them.
For more information on school zones, please visit www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/community/schools/school-zones.
Australian Federal Polices' Parental checklist to keep kids SAFE at school
The AFP-led Australian Centre to Combat Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is guiding parents and carers on how to keep their children SAFE as they head into the classroom for 2026.
According to AFP Commander Human Exploitation Helen Schneider, the start of the new school year is a timely opportunity to shape and review strategies for protecting your children online.
It’s all encapsulated in a simple acronym:
Start and regularly continue conversations with your children about how to stay safe online.
Add parental controls to any online environment that potentially gives strangers access to your children.
Fix the privacy settings on social media and other online environments to restrict who sees your family’s content.
Encourage your children to think critically and question behaviour that doesn’t feel right.
“The online environment is part and parcel of modern family life, and it’s something children are exposed to from a young age,” Commander Schneider said.
“It can be a place of tremendous learning and development, of social interaction, fun and family connection, but it does come with risks such as exposure to those involved in online child sexual exploitation.
“For this reason, it’s important to be mindful of what your family is doing, and putting, online.”
Most immediately, that includes being thoughtful about sharing back-to-school photos as students head through the school gates next week.
“The first day of school represents a joyful and significant milestone, so it’s only natural parents and guardians want to share the moment with their family and friends, especially those who may live interstate or overseas,” Commander Schneider said.
“But the unfortunate reality is that without a little forethought, pictures they post all too innocently can be – and have been – saved, edited and shared by people with malicious intentions.
“AFP and ACCCE investigators have seen offenders use seemingly innocent details – such as a school logo, street sign or even a front door – to build a profile of a child with the intent of grooming them online or even manipulating parents and carers to gain access or leverage.
“They have also used imagery and other innocently shared material to create sexually explicit deepfake material, such as videos, images, drawings or stories.
“So, while we don’t want to create a climate of unease or fear around back to school shots, it is about education and awareness.”
Commander Schneider noted first-day-of-school photos were often shot on smartphones.
She encouraged families to use their phone’s built-in photo editing feature to blur or hide identifiable details before uploading them, rather than relying on social media apps.
“When you edit within a social media app, the original image can be stored, which means the identifiable details you want to hide have been uploaded,” Commander Schneider said. “By performing the edit at the start, you take away the risk of that detail being compromised.”
Overarching tips for parents for first-day and future action across photos and posts, are:
- Don’t reveal your children’s personal details, such as their names, ages and school years.
- Don’t reveal details about your children’s school through elements such as uniforms, logos or street names.
- Avoid ‘checking-in’ on social media as that can reveal your location.
- Only share photos with people you know and trust. And make sure you educate them about how, and if, you would be comfortable for them to on-share your material.
- If another person is taking photos of your child, talk to them about how the photos will be used and where they will be shared.
For more information on keeping kids SAFE online, visit the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
It has a wealth of information on topics ranging from sharing your child’s information online to fact sheets about social networking and gaming, to conversation cards to jumpstart your online safety conversations.