How to develop a School Travel Plan - Secondary Schools
Contents
Files for Downloading School Travel Plan Checklist
School Travel Plan Agreement
School Travel Plan Action Template
Why does my school need a School Travel Plan?
- The number of young people being driven to and from school has risen rapidly over the past 20 years. A recent survey of 40 Leicestershire secondary schools showed that 17% of students arrived by car
- School gate congestion is a threat to pedestrian safety and significantly increases traffic noise and pollution
- Students who arrive by car have less opportunity to develop road safety pedestrian skills that are essential as they seek to organise their lives more independently of parents/guardians
- Parents’/Guardians’ fears for their children's safety from traffic, whilst walking or cycling to school, has in turn led to those children being driven to school, thus exacerbating the problem
- Schools frequently receive complaints from parents/guardians and local residents about the aggressive nature of drivers who park dangerously outside schools, drive on the pavement and have little consideration for others
- Research shows that children are not as healthy as they used to be. One of the main causes is that they spend more time travelling by car rather than on foot or by bike
- If the school is looking to extend its building then it may be required to develop a School Travel Plan as part of the planning permission
- Capital grants, in the region of £9,000, are currently available to secondary schools that develop a School Travel Plan
What is a School Travel Plan?
It is a public document, with an action plan written by students, parents/guardians, teachers, governors and local residents. Its aim is to identify safe, healthy and sustainable journeys to school and make these options an attractive alternative to travelling by car. This means finding ways to encourage walking, cycling, use of public transport and car sharing.
For the school:
- Improved safety on the school journey
- Reduced congestion and pollution outside the school gates
- Improve community relationships, with the school seen as a ‘good neighbour’
- Contribute to the school’s environmental policy or gain recognition for the school eg, Healthy School and Eco-School Awards
- Use the journey to school as an opportunity for learning in the curriculum, for example PSHE, Citizenship, Geography, ICT, which, in turn, is increasingly being recognised by Ofsted.
For the pupils:
- Improved health and fitness by increasing levels of walking and cycling
- Improved road and personal safety skills and travel awareness
- Improved knowledge of community surroundings and the local environment
- Give students the opportunity to make a difference, by engaging their interest and enthusiasm, to find solutions for problems related to the school run, which in turn, raises their awareness of wider global issues.
For the parents/guardians:
- Reduced driving stress and improved journey quality
- Improved community awareness by working together
- Build links – between parents and strengthen home/school links.
What will the school have to do?
Schools will be expected to:
- Form and maintain a working group that includes representation from parents/guardians, students, governors, parish/town council, local residents, police and other members of the school community
- Consult within the school and the community about current travel patterns and the potential for increased walking/cycling to school
- Liaise with local or feeder schools and other organisations, such as businesses, that can help push the School Travel Plan forward
- Be prepared to develop skills to 'sell' sustainable transport alternatives to parents/guardians, students and members of staff.
It is your plan, with problems that are unique to your school. The problems are identified by you and solved by you, but the County Council’s Travel Plan Team will advise and support you and help progress the initiatives you identify.
The first step in producing a School Travel Plan is to undertake a survey of current travel patterns and practices. Surveys should include; how students travel to school, how they would like to travel and what, if anything, impedes them from walking, cycling, using public transport or car sharing.
- The County Council can provide survey templates and sufficient questionnaires for the school population.
- When the student survey forms have been completed the School Travel Plan Team at County Hall will collate the information and return the results to the school.
- You may decide that parents/guardians should be asked to complete a travel survey. These questionnaires collect data on wider issues, for example where parents/guardians go after dropping off students at school. Examples can be provided.
With this information, a school community is able to identify initiatives that have the potential to improve the quality of young people’s lives, the environment immediately around school and that have a beneficial effect on residents and settlements in general.
What can be included in the School Travel Plan?
Each school is unique, with its particular environment, catchment area and aims. The measures identified in a School Travel Plan are specific to that school and may not be appropriate at a different campus. Listed below are some of the measures that can be incorporated into a School Travel Plan.
Travel awareness
- Advise new students and parents/guardians on school travel policies and arrangements
- Include a safer routes map, school travel policies and arrangements in the prospectus/website
- Include school journey details in arrival packs sent to new parents/guardians
- Curriculum based projects on sustainable transport/healthy choices
Walking and cycling
- Create car-free pedestrian/cycle entrances
- Give priority to pedestrians, cyclists and buses at the school entrance and within the campus
- Create new footpaths in the school grounds and resurface existing paths
- Review visibility of school uniform
- Review homework timetable and check how much students carry home
- Provide adequate storage for school books, cycling gear and outdoor clothing
- Provide cycle parking facilities for staff and students
- Offer on-road cycle training
- Advise on cycling safety and arrangeregular cycle maintenance checks
- Set up a cycle permit scheme
Public transport
- Provide public transport information at school
- Explore options for new services, better routes and low fare promotions
- Introduce a code of behaviour for school bus users
Sharing the ride
- Set up a car sharing scheme for parents and staff
- Introduce a parent/guardian driver code of conduct
- Set up a ‘Park and Stride’ scheme
Routes to school is a relatively new concept. The aim of the Routes to School programme, funded by Leicestershire County Council, is to build a safer and more accessible highway network for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. Some measures identified by your school may fall under the Routes to School programme, such as pedestrian crossing facilities or 20 mph zones. The County Council will investigate whether or not such measures are appropriate or feasible and will seek to implement them where schools can demonstrate that:
- they are willing to introduce curricular activities based on the School Travel Plan
- they appoint a champion who will be responsible for helping to develop and monitor the School Travel Plan
- they have adopted a School Travel Plan
- they have implemented some of the other measures identified in the School Travel Plan, for example, installed secure cycle facilities, created safer routes away from traffic on campus.
For further information contact:
Road Safety Education and Travel Awareness Team
Department of Highways, Transportation and Waste Management
Leicestershire County Council
Glenfield
Leicestershire
LE3 8RJ
Other contacts
Text Description of Images
Text description of the vicious circle image
The vicious circle has 6 text items placed at its edge. The text items are as follows:
- Parents/Guardians think that roads are too dangerous
- Parents/Guardians drive children to school
- Traffic increases
- Parents/Guardians think that roads are too dangerous
- Fewer children walk and cycle to school
- Traffic increases
Text description of STP Working Group image
The STP Working Group is represented as a circle surrounded by 7 text items. Starting at the top of the circle and moving clockwise, the text items are as follows:
- Parents/Guardians
- Local Residents
- Pupils
- Teachers/Staff
- Parish/Town Council
- Leicestershire County Council
- School Governors
Any of the above can be members of the STP Working Group
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