Schools
Travelling to and from school is an integral part of the school day for pupils. If the journey is a pleasant one then the beginning and end of the school day can help them to progress well in school, making it a pleasant and constructive environment for everyone.
Car journeys taking pupils to and from school (also known as the school run) often brings increased congestion to our roads. According to findings, during this time there are over 3.6 million cars on the road (Egg/TNS). Between 8 and 9am 10% of all cars on the road are on the school run.
Each day during the school term 8.3 million pupils travel to school. The proportion of children travelling to school by car has almost doubled over the past 20 years.
TravelWise is a national awareness campaign which looks at reducing unnecessary car use and single occupancy car use through promoting sustainable travel options. It aims to encourage pupils, parents and staff to consider the way in which they travel to school by looking at alternatives including public transport, walking and cycling.
For details on how you can find your way to school by public transport, please go to the Traveline online journey planner by clicking here or alternatively phone Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.
Benefits of using public transport to get to school
- Encourage independent travel.
- Reduce the number of cars on the road.
- Healthier pupils.
- Uses less road space.
- More energy efficient.
Facts about the school run
- In slow moving traffic, pollution levels are higher inside cars than outside.
- Around one in five cars on the road at peak time are on the school run and about 30% of children are taken to school in the car by their parents.
- Less than one in ten seven year olds make their own way to school compared to seven out of ten in 1971.
What is a school travel plan?
The school produces a school travel plan. It encompasses all the issues relevant to journeys to and from the school and includes concerns about safety, health and also proposals for ways to make improvements. School travel plans have attracted government support as they are seen as a way to help reduce the number of unnecessary car journeys.
Essentially the plan is a statement of issues which need to be addressed and a strategy for overcoming or reducing them through a number of initiatives, which will make journeys to and from school safer and healthier. School travel plans include consultation with pupils, parents, local residents, councillors, health promotion officers and public transport operators.
Benefits of a school travel plan?
- Reduced noise, air pollution and congestion on roads around the school.
- A safer environment outside the school gate.
- Students arrive at school on time, more alert and keen to learn.
- Promotes a healthier lifestyle.
- Students improve their road safety skills and learn to travel independently.
- More energy efficient.
How can having a school travel plan help?
- Looks at the way pupils and staff travel to school and aims to improve the journey experience for everyone.
- Looks at reducing car use on the journey to and from school.
- Encourages people to walk, cycle and car share or use public transport.
- Examples include park and stride schemes, walking buses, safer routes to school and staggering start times.
- Use of soft marketing and promotional measures can help to improve safety and reduce car use and congestion around your school.
In 2004 the Government released funds to all local authorities to help with the development of school travel plans. To help achieve the target of 100% of schools with a school travel plan by 2010/11, most local authorities have used the funding to employ a dedicated School Travel Adviser and provide schools with the funds to improve infrastructure (such as cycle parking) at their sites.
Centro’s Sustainable Travel Team help schools look at the public transport aspects of their travel plans and assists with developing initiatives to increase the number of students and staff using public transport. We also work closely alongside School Travel Advisers within the seven local authorities of the West Midlands to help bring sustainable travel into West Midlands schools. Contact Rachel Hooper, Centro’s Schools TravelWise Officer, for more information on 0121 214 7409 or email travelwiseschools@centro.org.uk
Leaflets
There are a number of leaflet available from the Sustainble Travel Team please see below to download the parent, school and pupil guides. Alternatively please contact us travelwiseschools@centro.org.uk and we will be happy to send you further copies.
> Travelling to School a Parents Guide
For help with your travel plan contact the School Travel Adviser or School Co-ordinator in your area.
Click on the map below for your school’s local council contact.
Capital Grant Funding
Capital grants are available for those schools who meet a minimum criterion. The school travel plan capital grant is in addition to schools allocation of devolved formula capital (DFC) and must therefore be spent on capital items e.g. cycle parking, lockers etc. Schools have 3 years to spend the grant, timed from the start of the financial year in which the grant was allocated. It is for the school to determine how to spend their DFC. The additional allocation is in recognition that a school’s travel plan may have identified additional capital expenditure on the school site and the main aim of this additional money is to enable and encourage more sustainable travel to school.
For further information on the Capital Grant Funding please contact your local authority school travel adviser.
Initiatives and Resources to Support Schools
Letzgogreen website
The Letzgogreen website has been developed and designed for use by schools and pupils in learning about sustainable travel. The website has a number of sections including a teacher's resource area with lesson plans and downloadable teacher notes, detailing how the whiteboard interactives on the website link into the national curriculum. The key stage 1 and 2 zones have a number of activities for use as a class or individually by pupils, including messages such as how to use a bus, train or tram, reading timetables and keeping safe. It also has separate sections for parents and pupils as well as information on school travel plans with the ability to integrate sustainable travel into everyday learning for pupils.
Just log on to www.letzgogreen.org and take a look.
School TravelWise – The essential tool to travel to school.
School TravelWise is a new and exciting concept for Nursery, Primary, Secondary, Independent and Special Schools . Find your nearest school using the ‘school search' option. This brand new website provides a wealth of information on all aspects of active and sustainable travel to school including, bespoke journey planning, extended school activities, mapping of local facilities….. and lots more.
Once a school signs up to the website has an active school travel plan and pledges to promote sustainable travel they are given access to free customised web pages for each school. These pages tap into all the travel information currently online (including real time information and journey planning software where available), enabling schools to tailor their web pages specifically to their own location.
Just log on to www.schooltravelwise.org.uk for more information
Secondary School Support
- Bespoke public transport information for services that serve the school.
- Adjustments to Centro subsidised bus services.
- Liaise with operators on behalf of the school with any issues you may have.
- Assist with bus behaviour issues.
- Any other public transport issues / enquiries.
- Educational workshops on how to use public transport.
- Point you in the right direction for support on initiatives such as walking buses, cycle training and Park and Stride schemes.
- Attend new intake evenings to discuss travel options to school with parents.
Primary School Support
- Public transport and sustainable travel workshop for year 6.
- Bespoke public transport pack.
- Ticket information.
- Journey planning.
- Adjustments to Centro subsidised bus services
- Liaise with operators on behalf of the school with any issues you may have
- Point you in the right direction for support on initiatives such as walking buses, cycle training and Park and Stride schemes.
Special School Support
- Bespoke public transport pack
- Ticket information
- Liaise with operators on behalf of the school with any issues you may have.
- Support with travel training utilising Centro.WMPTA's Travel Training manual.
- Adjustments to Centro subsidised bus services.
TravelWise Schools Literacy Pack
Centro’s Sustainable Travel Team is working with Wolverhampton City Council to raise awareness of the travel and lifestyle choices available to young people. In 2002 a pilot scheme was launched for Wolverhampton Primary Schools, where teachers working with key stage 2 pupils (8-10 year olds) were given a TravelWise Literacy pack to use as a teaching aid. The pack links into the National Education Strategy and was designed with the help of educational experts. It’s a fun, easy to use, teaching aid that can be used in English, Geography or citizenship lessons. The activities within the pack include games, poems, worksheets and practical tasks that are designed to address everyday travel choices that affect pupils at key stage 2 level. Each pack has a feedback form for teachers to make comments about its contents, information that is vital to help us make improvements to the pack should it be adopted by other local authorities. If you are not in the Wolverhampton area but would like to be sent copies of the packs, please use the contacts map on this page and email the Wolverhampton City Council Schools Coordinator with your requirements. Packs cost £4 each and there is no minimum order requirement.
Public Transport in the curriculum
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There are numerous resources which can be used in the classroom relating to public transport, having links with subject topics including PSHE, Geography and Citizenship. For details of lesson plans and ideas for both Primary and Secondary resources please log on to www.databases.dft.gov.uk/lessonplans/
For further information on writing a school travel plan visit www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sd/managers/travel
The School Travel Plan encompasses public transport and there are many measures you can put in place to promote public transport and ensure that children behave in an acceptable manner when travelling by public transport.
- Introduce a code of conduct for public transport.
- Independent travel training.
- Public transport information provision.
Useful websites
www.databases.dft.gov.uk/schools
DfT database of classroom materials relating to sustainable travel
www.walktoschool.org.uk
Information on international and national walk to school week campaigns.
www.eco-schools.org.uk
Information on the scheme that gets everyone in the school involved in improving the school environment.
www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk
DoH /DfES site providing information on National Curriculum and National Healthy School Standard for a range of audiences.
www.teachernet.gov.uk
DfES site supporting education professions includes a section on sustainable travel to school.
www.saferoutestoschools.org.uk
Information sheet for parents and schools on ‘Pupils engagement and participation in STP’s'. Plus a range of curriculum and other resources.
www.teachernet.gov.uk/framework
‘STP quality assurance advice note’ details government consultation and participation requirements for STP’s eligibility for a STP grant/