Choose safe and active travel to get to school this term

Warwickshire County Council’s Safe and Active Travel and Road Safety Education Teams are hoping that more parents and carers than ever before will take the opportunity to encourage their children to walk or cycle to and from school every day. The hope is this will have a number of benefits, including:

• Leading to better health outcomes for children and young people by giving them a daily source of physical exercise;
• Reducing the number of cars dropping children off at schools, which will reduce the opportunity for road traffic accidents at these locations and contribute to reducing Warwickshire’s overall carbon footprint; and
• Reducing congestion at the school gates which, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, should reduce the risks of transmission of the virus between adults dropping off their children.

The Road Safety Education Team have recently launched a new award programme : Safe and Active Travel. Schools who sign up to the programme work their way through four levels completing active travel activities and gaining rewards along the way. If you think your school might be interested in the Safe and Active Travel Award then contact: roadsafetyeducationsafer@warwickshire.gov.uk.

There are lots of ways for children to be more active on their school journies. Below are some examples:

• Even if it’s not possible to walk, scoot or cycle all the way to school, children can ‘Park and Stride’ instead. Parents/Carers park at least ten minutes away from school and, with their children, walk, cycle or scoot the rest of the way;
• Families can make a WOW pledge – ‘Walk on Wednesdays’ or Walk Once a Week’. Just by making that small change can have a huge impact on the environment and on their physical and emotional wellbeing;
• Walking buses are a great way to get groups of children walking to school safely. For more information about setting up a walking bus simply email roadsafetyeducationsafer@warwickshire.gov.uk;
• Take part in national campaigns such as: Walk to School Week, Bike Week or Brake Road Safety Week; and/or
• You could ask your local school to organise a sponsored ‘Walk to School Week’; a 2 wheels campaign or a ‘Bling your Bike’ competition.

In order to support parents and carers in encouraging their children to choose safe and active travel options to get to school, Warwickshire County Council is sign-posting to the range of resources that they produce in this area.

Each resource focuses on a specific, age appropriate, and timely road safety message to help children learn about staying safe. Key messages include:

• stopping before the kerb and crossing roads safely;
• scooter safety;
• the importance of being visible;
• Independent travel; and
• Safety throughout the Seasons

These resources can be found on the links below: 

• Resources for Reception children –https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9f3C4Fbo5T9gaOYeR9AP5ID5CMm3Ho2B
• Resources for KS1 children –https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9f3C4Fbo5T_1CcIJ19x4yP5675LLo_Cp
• Resources for Year 3 children – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9f3C4Fbo5T_kKasFUBRsU5K2Lw2Ta58C
• Resources for Year 4 children – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9f3C4Fbo5T-Pf9xKtA9cf8akh9brH8h8
• Resources for Years 5 & 6 children – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9f3C4Fbo5T8Z2bsqsrp2z0x6SzZmQgTJ

Parents and carers are also encouraged to get to know The Warwickshire Road Safety Club Code, which is a series of easy to remember rules that asks children and young people to:

• Think about roads
• Stop before the kerb
• Look and listen carefully for traffic
• Think about what to do before crossing; and
• Cross the road safely

A short video has been created here to help children and parents remember: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsXiP7OPB0s&

For children and young people thinking about cycling to school this summer, Warwickshire County Council is supporting the National Police Chiefs Council’s 2-Wheels campaign, which has created resources to raise awareness, educate and provide a timely reminder for young cyclists on cycle safety.

Key, age-appropriate messages include the benefits of cycling and how to do this safely by following the Road Safety Code, remembering to wear light, bright and reflective clothing, locate safer places to cross, and how to use crossings safely and legally when cycling, and the importance of wearing a correctly fitted helmet.

The aim of the digital resources are to raise awareness of cycle safety and educate both primary and secondary school aged pupils of the importance and benefits of cycling safely and legally.

A copy of these resources can be obtained by emailing: roadsafetyeducation@warwickshire.gov.uk

Mark Ryder, Strategic Director of the Communities Group, said: “I hope to see more of our young people choosing safe and active means of getting to school this term. With the days getting longer and the weather warmer, there has never been a better time to ditch the car drop-offs and walk or cycle to the school gates.

“The council is committed to addressing climate change and sustainable travel is key to that.  As we are encouraging more children and young people to walk and cycle, it’s important that they know how to do so safely.

“Road Safety Education is a skill for life and embedding safe practice should begin as soon as children start to walk and be built upon, steadily, throughout their education. Cycling, in particular, is something that this Council will be focussing on much more over the coming years and will have its own dedicated strategy which will aim to encourage more cycling through improved cycling infrastructure across Warwickshire.

“We hope many of our young people will be choosing to enjoy the benefits of walking and cycling to School and, for parents, there is no better time than the present to ensure their children are familiar with concepts of road safety and the Warwickshire Road Safety Club Code.”

More information about road safety in Warwickshire is available on the Warwickshire Website: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsafety