School Travel Plans
TravelWise Merseyside is a campaign run by Local Transport Plan partnership of Merseytravel and Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral councils. The aim of the campaign is to help people make smarter travel choices and School Travel Plans are an integral part of this campaign.
A School Travel Plan –
· Aims to bring about changes in behaviour and attitude – helping parents, pupils and staff realise that the way they travel to school affects everyone, but can also benefit everyone
· Is a written document which describes a school’s travel and transport issues and how it will work to reduce congestion and promote walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing
· Links directly with the Every Child Matters agenda, supports Ofsted self evaluation and encourages good links with the local community
· Allows people to make safe, confident choices in changing from the car to more healthy and sustainable alternatives, by encouraging safer routes to schools, and education on benefits to health, safety and the environment.
The initiatives that schools choose to implement vary and include –
· Park and Walk days
· Walking buses
· Cycle training and storage
· National Walk to School Weeks and Bike to School Week
· Links to curriculum and school council work
· Public Transport maps and information packs for new pupils
· Staff Car Share
· Links with Health Weeks/events.
There are 202 schools with adopted Travel Plan in Merseyside, 35 of these are in Wirral. Details at www.letstravelwise.org Each school is supported by a dedicated School Travel Plan Advisor.
On average, schools that have been implementing Travel Plans have achieved shifts away from car use –
Mode Change from 2001-2006
Car use -2.4%
Walking +2.7%
Cycling +0.8%
Case Studies
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Wallasey has set up two walking buses which run each day, pupils are encouraged to jump out of bed, climb on the walking bus and have a healthy breakfast when they get to school. All members of the walking buses have a passport, which is stamped each time they walk and prizes are given accordingly. This scheme has improved attendance and children in general appear more awake.
Walking has increased by 8% during 2005/2006.
Plessington High School pupils were surveyed in the first year of their travel plan. Almost 200 pupils responded that they’d be interested in cycling to school. The Travel Team made up of staff and pupils worked with the Local Authority and TravelWise team to organise and fund a package including secure cycle storage for 120 bikes, incentives of water bottles, fluorescent armbands, backpacks, puncture repair kits and bells, maintenance sessions, training and route information. A member of the School Council manages use of the fob entry system and staff ensure ongoing promotion of cycling via the curriculum and special events like Bike to School Week. The school have also recently taken part in National Walk to School Week encouraging inter-form competitions using pedometers.
Barnston Primary School have seen the number walking increase by 15.6% over the last 5 years, use of the school bus increase by 6% and car use decrease by 21%! The walking bus is regularly featured as part of special assemblies and the children encouraged to take part in special competitions – winning signed football t-shirts, vouchers and pedometers. Each Walk to School Week (May and October) a literacy trail is organised by Deputy Head where children have to walk a route to school to read parts of a story pinned up along the route. For those unable to walk all the time, Walk to School Week sees over 65% making a special effort – giving them a taster of how great walking can be!
To find out more information on Travel Plans visit the TravelWise website. If you are interested in developing a Travel Plan at your school, you will need to register your interest for inclusion in the programme, please contact the School Travel Plan Team on 0151 606 2004.
Cycle training
The Merseyside partners have commissioned a non-for-profit Community Interest Company ‘Cycling Solutions’ to deliver the new National Standard levels of cycle training. More than 4.500 schoolchildren will receive National Standard training to level 2 this year, complementing training already provided by local authority road safety teams. More than 35 qualified instructors are carrying out the new training, with one instructor paired with no more than 5 children. Where possible an initial two hours training session is followed by four 1 1/2 sessions over the following four weeks when children are taken out onto the roads with the instructor to help them to cycle confidently and safely. In Wirral, 387 Year5/6 pupils have received level 2 training. If you are interested in cycle training at your school then please contact Steve Corlett on 0151 606 2187.
Events
International Walk to School Week 4th – 8th October 2006
International Walk to School Week is an opportunity for schools to promote all the benefits of walking and encourage their pupils, parents and staff to make a special effort to leave cars at home with the chance to win prizes and have lots of fun!! For resources and competition details look out for the letter/email arriving in school in September. See the TravelWise website for more details and future events or www.iwalktoschool.org for what’s happening around the globe.