School Travel Approach
At Aldryngton Primary School we encourage pupils, parents and staff to travel actively to school by walking, cycling and scooting wherever possible. This school travel approach explains how Aldryngton Primary will be encouraging active travel. We will discuss the approach with the pupils and re-visit it periodically to ensure its relevance.
This approach has been agreed by the leadership team and pupils in consultation with the School Travel Coordinator. For pupils and staff who are unable to walk, cycle or scoot their whole journey to and from school, we encourage the use of public transport, car share and park and stride.
What are the benefits of active travel?
- Improves mental health leading to improved attendance and academic success
- Improves physical health, helping pupils to achieve the recommended minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity per day
- Promotes independence and improves road safety awareness
- Reduces congestion and noise in the community
- Improves air quality around the school
In order to ensure as many pupils as possible are given the opportunity to realise these benefits we each have an important role to play:
Staff
We will encourage pupils to travel to and from school more safely and actively by:
- Promoting the benefits of active travel
- Celebrating the achievements of those who travel actively to school
- Raising awareness of the air quality benefits of active travel
- Promoting Be Safe Be Seen at school events and giving out reflective key rings and wristbands for children to use.
- Providing cycle and scooter storage on the school site
- Providing cycle training to all pupils who wish to participate
- Carrying out travel safety audits and consulting staff, parents and pupils about how best to make traveling to school as safe and sustainable as possible.
- Ensuring we update our school travel plan annually and that it is accredited under Modeshift Travel scheme
- Working with our borough school travel and road safety officers to deliver interventions and activities that promote active, safe and responsible travel to school
Pupils
To make active travel a positive experience for everybody concerned, we expect our pupils to:
- Behave in a sensible, safe and respectful manner and to consider the needs of others when travelling
- Use lights and high-visibility clothing where appropriate and consider wearing a cycle helmet
- Check that their bicycle or scooter is roadworthy and well maintained
- Follow the rules of the road (Highway Code) when travelling
Parents and carers
For the wellbeing of our pupils, we expect parents/carers to:
- Encourage their child to travel actively to school
- Consider walking, cycling or scooting with their child
- Encourage their child to take up opportunities to develop their competence and confidence in walking, cycling and scooting
- Provide their child with safety equipment as appropriate, which may include high-visibility clothing, lights, cycle helmet and a lock
- Ensure that the bicycles and scooters ridden to school are roadworthy and well maintained.
Parents and carers are reminded that they are responsible for the safety of their child on the journey to and from school.
Aldryngton Primary School would like to thank you in advance for supporting our travel approach. If you have any ideas on how to promote, or provide new opportunities for active travel please get in touch.
Wokingham Bikeathon – https://www.wokinghambikeathon.co.uk/
School Maps – https://www.myjourneywokingham.com/schools/primary-schools/