Walking and Cycling Case Study
St Godric’s RCVA Primary School
St Godric’s RCVA Primary School in Newton Hall has a strong environmental and healthy ethos within the school. The school has been successful in achieving both the Healthy School Award and the Sport England Activemark Gold Award. Having achieved these awards, the school felt that the development of a School Travel Plan would further intertwine, extend and underpin these and reflect not only their environmental and healthy school ethos, but also their responsibilities as part of the extended local community.
The school had taken a proactive approach to addressing the concerns it had regarding school gate parking by establishing a termly ‘Park and Stride’ initiative. Parents and pupils were encouraged to park in the car parks at the local shops, church and the community centre. In addition adult volunteers were escorting three walking buses enabling all of the pupils to participate by either walking for at least part of, or for the whole of, the school journey.
The schools Working Group consisted of representatives from the School Council, governors, school staff, police and local county councillors. The group decided to have an official launch of the ‘Park and Stride’ initiative and operate it on a more frequent basis. The school council renamed the initiative Friday ‘Stride Day’. Sam, Durham County Council’s ‘Safer, Greener, Fitter’ mascot, was requested to come into school to host a special assembly. The local Sainsbury’s Supermarket at the Arnison Centre supported the initiative by supplying the children with drinks. Even those children who travel to school by bus were able to take part; the school persuaded the driver of the designated school bus to drop pupils off at the front of the school and they then joined in with a special walking bus which walked around the perimeter of the school.
The official launch of ‘Friday Stride Day’ proved to be an incredible success with parents and pupils. It also resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of parental vehicles parked outside of the school gates. The event did not escape the attention of the local media with the local newspaper coming along to take photographs and the local radio station taping the assembly and interviewing the head teacher and representatives from the school council.
The Working Group were keen to further encourage sustainable travel. They identified the need for secure cycle parking and a parent waiting shelter to support cycling and walking. The Upper KS2 School Council representatives were keen to promote travelling to school by bicycle and realised that this would be beneficial in terms of increased exercise. Not only that, but it would also have a positive impact upon the environment with less cars coming to the school, and therefore less pollution being created. The need for a parent shelter facility was also identified. It was suggested that parents may be more inclined to walk on the school journey if they could seek shelter from the worst elements while waiting for pupils to emerge.
The Working Group decided that the use of the cycle parking should be accompanied by a cycle permit scheme, the scheme required the following:
- Pupils had to obtain written permission from parents to cycle on the school journey.
- Cycle helmets must be worn, as well as an item of high visibility clothing.
- Bicycles must have combination locks.
- Cyclists must not ride their bicycles on school premises.
- Pupils must have completed their Cycling Proficiency Training Course.
- Those pupils younger than Year 6 pupils were required to have a named adult accompanying them on their cycling journey.
The Working Group enthused by the success of their initial launch held a special event in September 2006 to officially open the cycle parking and parent waiting shelter. St Godric’s RCVA Primary School submitted their School Travel Plan in March 2005. Their plan was approved and the Working Group now intend to spend their capital grant on improved lighting on the school site.
