A School Travel Plan can lead to some very real and direct benefits for the school itself.
Practical Outcomes
The worth of many of the actions that may come out of a plan speak for themselves
- A friendlier and safer road environment for pedestrians and cyclists through road calming, crossings, cycle lanes and parking restrictions
- Better facilities on site for cyclists
- More exercise for children through increased opportunities to walk or cycle to school
- Better road and pedestrian awareness skills for pupils
- Children arrive at school more relaxed and in a better state of mind to begin lessons
- Reduced traffic in the vicinity of the school which means quicker journey for other road users and more road space for essential users such as the emergency services etc
- Reduced pollution both in terms of local air pollution which has been cited as a leading cause of asthma in children, and greenhouse gasses which are a leading contributor to global warming
- Increased sense of independence and worth for pupils from making trips themselves
Collaboration
The best School Travel Plans arrive from a collaborative effort between teachers, pupils, parents, residents, and the local authority. This in itself is a valuable process and is increasingly being picked up by OfSTED inspectors as a demonstration of partnership working. If the act of implementing the plan is equally ‘owned’ by all the stakeholders, the effects can be inspirational.
Education
Many schools take the opportunity to structure streams of work around the drafting of the plan – the subject matter is of course linked to several areas of the national curriculum in both primary and secondary schools. Subjects such as PSHE, citizenship and geography obviously spring to mind, but links to maths, sciences and even drama and art can be easily forged with just a little imagination. Indeed there is now a large bank of lesson plans and teaching resources available to teachers to help in bringing the Travel Plan into the classroom. The STP can also feed directly into modules of the Healthy Schools syllabus, and it is a great project for the school council to be involved with.
School Ethos
A well implemented plan will feed positively into your whole school ‘ethos’ – for example a commitment to the environment and sustainable transport, or a dedication to working in partnership with the local community. It can be a huge source of pride to staff, pupils and the wider school community and will probably be an integral part of your school prospectus.
For details of funding streams available to schools on completion of their travel plan click on the ‘Funding/Grants’ tab above.
