Sustainable transport for schools

Walking is often the easiest way to make short journeys, and walking to school is the best way to encourage children to be more active. Most pupils, particularly those at primary and first schools, live within a short walking distance of their school.

Why should your child walk to school?

• Walking to school with your child gives you the opportunity to teach them good road safety habits.
• Pupils who walk will arrive more energised, and ready for the day ahead than those who travel by car.
• There’s no more hassle of trying to find somewhere to park near the school.
• 20% of all rush hour traffic is made up of parents doing the school run.
• Walking provides parents and children with time to chat and catch up on their day and it’s free!
• It is the best way to ensure that your child gets some exercise every day.

 

Walk to School initiatives

Walk on Wednesdays (WOW)

• Pupils are rewarded for walking to school at least one day per week.
• Collectible badges are rewarded at the end of each month.
• When both parents and pupils can see how enjoyable it is to Walk on Wednesdays, they can try to incorporate it into their daily routines.
• WOW can make a real difference, as it promotes walking throughout the entire school year.

Walk to School Week, and Walk to School Month

• Held during May and October every year, these initiatives are an ideal time to kick-start and organise any walking activities.
• During Walk to School Month, schools can take part in a range of initiatives to promote the importance of walking as a fun and healthy way of travelling to school.
• For more information on Walk to School initiatives, please click here.
• Alternatively, you can contact the Go Smarter team here.

Organised walks to school

• We have helped schools to organise some fantastic themed walks to school, for example Halloween, royal wedding, and Easter walks.
• Schools can make organised walks really fun events which tie into other activities taking place at school.
• Just pick a date, theme, and a place where everyone can meet up and walk to school. We can help you to sort out the details.

Walking buses

• A walking bus is a group of children, supervised by adults, who walk to school along a defined route, picking up more children along the way.
• The walking bus route risk is assessed by highways engineers. We also produce  timetables, and a pupil code of conduct.
• If your school doesn’t have a walking bus, we could help you and your child’s school to set one up.

Park and Stride

• This is a good alternative for pupils who have to travel to school by car.
• Parents can park their cars up to 10 minutes away from the school and continue the remainder of the journey on foot with their children.
• This reduces congestion at the school gates, improved road safety for children, reduces air pollution, and encourages healthier lifestyles.
• We have resources to help schools to promote Park and Stride - including railing banners, car stickers, and maps.

Cycling is a great way to get to school. It’s possible to cycle a much greater distance than it is to walk, and most children find cycling fun too!

PLEASE NOTE: An adult should always accompany younger children. Older children should work with their parents to determine a suitable route, and practice it with an adult before they are ready to try it independently.

Why should your child cycle to school?

• They will get to school faster than they would if they were walking.
• It keeps you fit - cycling is one of the best forms of exercise you can get.
• Bikes don’t pollute the environment. The only fuel you need is pedal power!
• Cycling helps to develop road sense, which makes your child a better road user in the future.

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Cycle to School initiatives

Bikeability cycle training

• Bikeability is cycling proficiency for the 21st century, designed to give the next generation the skills and confidence to ride their bikes on today’s roads.
• This is the only government-approved, and nationally-recognised award for cycle training.
• Northumberland schools are offered free Bikeability training for their pupils.
• For more information, please contact our Road Safety team here, or please click here to visit the Bikeability website.

Bike Week

• Bike Week is a national celebration of cycling held in June each year. It is an opportunity to encourage more pupils to try cycling to school.
• In 2019, over 300 registered Bike Week events were held across the UK, supporting over 25,000 people to take up cycling.
• In Northumberland, we organise a school cycle challenge with trophies for schools and pupils.
• Schools could also try holding biker’s breakfasts, sponsored cycle rides, or bling your bike competitions during the school week.
• Please click here for more information about Bike Week.

The Big Pedal cycling competition

• The Big Pedal is a national cycling competition held in February and organised by cycling charity Sustrans.
• Schools compete against each other to record the greatest number of active journeys to school.

Please click here for more information about Sustrans.

Children love to use their scooters to travel in their free time, so scooting to school has become the major sustainable travel success story of the past few years.
 

Scoot to School initiatives

Scooter training

• Scooter Smart is a training pack which can be delivered by schools, or a member of the Go Smarter team.
• This is aimed at pupils in years one and two.
• Scooter training aims to educate children to become responsible scooter riders, while ensuring that they are aware of the safety implications of riding a scooter in public spaces.
• On completion of the training, pupils receive a certificate with a copy of the Scooter Smart Code.

Public transport is a great choice for getting quickly and safely to school if you need to travel longer distances.

Promoting public transport will teach children about different ways to get to school and also give them the skills and knowledge to travel independently when they are older.

Please click here for more information on the county council home-to-school transport policy.

Think, do you need to take the car? If you do, then please consider the following:

• Park safely - park well away from school entrances and yellow zig zags.
• Arrive safely - make sure your child gets out on the pavement side when you are dropping them off.
• Stop the engine - don't leave your engine running when your car has stopped and you are waiting to collect children. This can produce 80% more pollution than when a vehicle is actually moving. Medical evidence suggests the fact that one in seven children has asthma is related to traffic fumes.
• Use the five-minute zone - find a location some distance from the school so you can park and stride. This will help your children to experience some of the benefits of walking to school and reduce school gate congestion as well as helping to develop their road safety skills.
• Car share - talk to other parents about sharing lifts to reduce congestion and pollution. Liftsharing could also save you time and money too.

Northumberland’s Sustainable Modes of Travel Strategy Is currently under review and a link to the revised document will be provided in due course.

Each day during the school term, millions of pupils and their parents travel from home to school in the morning and make the return trip in the afternoon. The school journey affects public transport patterns, causes localised congestion around schools and contributes to the sharp road traffic peak and road safety concerns.

The proportion of children travelling to school by car has steadily increased, yet many live close enough to school to walk, cycle, scoot to school or take the bus, this has a negative effect on the environment and the health of young people. But encouraging more families to choose sustainable transport options would increase the amount of exercise young people receive, cut peak hour congestion, improve road safety around our schools and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and long-term environmental damage.

Northumberland County Council’s Sustainable Modes of Travel Strategy will cover the main initiatives being undertaken by the authority to reduce traffic levels associated with the journey to school and will identify how the authority supports schools to promote sustainable travel. The strategy will be developed in accordance with Part 6 of the Education & Inspections Act 2006. Section 508A of the Act places a ‘general duty on Local Authorities to promote the use of sustainable travel and transport for all children and young people of compulsory school age who travel to receive education in a local authority's area’. The SMOT will also reflect current national and local transport strategies and policies.

View the Education and Inspections Act 2006 here.