Schools
Travelwise NI, Walk to School Week (18-22 May 2009)
Over the last 20 years the number of children being driven to school in Northern Ireland has doubled (to almost 40%) and the ‘School Walk’ has been replaced by the ‘School Run’. This has led to growing congestion, particularly outside schools, and is having a negative impact on road safety, personal health, air quality and the local environment.
By participating in Walk to School Week pupils, parents and teachers have an opportunity to:
- Cut congestion outside their school
- Improve their physical fitness
- Develop valuable road safety skills
- Develop independence
- Help protect their health and environment by reducing air pollution.
Although many of today’s school children live close to their school they have never experienced walking to school. Walk to School Week gives your school the opportunity to start the process of reversing this trend by encouraging pupils to walk to school on a regular basis, if not all the way, then part of the way. Research has also shown that children who walk to school are more alert and perform better in a classroom environment.
SO, WHY NOT …
Join Our Challenge and Walk Our World
The theme for this year’s Walk to School Week event is:
Walk Our World (WOW).
We are challenging pupils, parents and staff to get actively involved in walking whilst exploring the world around them by “virtually walking” to well known attractions. Our WOW charts will help schools to tally their walking and our accompanying maps, highlighting famous landmarks, will enable pupils to track their progress – all of which we can provide for you.
Did you know: Belfast to the Eiffel Tower in Paris is 498 miles, ‘as the crow flies’? Surely we couldn’t get pupils to walk that distance? However, a school with 100 pupils walking the journey to and from school for just ONE WEEK would walk this distance! Now, that doesn’t sound too difficult, does it?
HOW TO REGISTER
There are 3 methods of registering for Walk to School Week 2009
- Phone 0845 378 0908 or
- Complete the registration form below, save a copy and forward by e mail info@travelwiseni.com or
- Complete the registration form and return to us by post.
Registration and Prize Draw
Would your school like the chance to win 1 of 10 bikes and a set of 10 high visibility vests?
Then register and submit detail of your schools activities during Walk to School Week 2009!
On-line Scrapbook
Schools that have registered and actively participated in Walk to School Week are encouraged to forward press clippings, photos and articles detailing their activities during the week, this will give them entry to a Prize Draw where 10 lucky schools will each win a bike and a set of 10 high visibility vests! These submissions will be included in the 2009 Scrapbook which will be available on the Travelwise NI website.
Photo’s, press clippings or articles of your of school activities can be emailed or posted to the Travelwise Team. This is your schools chance to showcase to the world what you have been doing during Walk to School Week 2009.
The closing date for submission for entry to the prize draw is 12 June 2009 the winning school will be advised during week beginning 22 June 2009.
E-mail
Post
DRD Roads Service
Travelwise Team
Room 329
Clarence Court
10-18 Adelaide Street
Belfast
BT2 8GB
Travelwise NI “Time Capsule”
The school that is judged by the Travelwise Team to have shown the most creative and innovative ideas to encourage pupils to walk to school will be eligible to receive the Travelwise NI Schools “Time Capsule” to be buried within school grounds.
The time capsule can include a ‘snapshot’ of interesting information about life and pupil travel habits at your school, past and present and predictions for the future that can then be uncovered in 50 years time for future generations to view.
That’s not all … The winning school will also be presented with a bike!
The closing date for consideration is 12 June 2009. The winning school will be advised during week beginning 22 June 2009. Details of winners will be listed on our website.
W2SW promotional materials
On registration, posters and stickers will be issued to school. Additional posters can be requested from the Travelwise Team or can be downloaded from this website. Walk to School Week stickers are available for Primary Schools on request from the Travelwise Team.
Possible Walk to School Week activities:
- •Younger pupils walking to school with parents/ guardians or other responsible adult
- •Pupils walking to school with older brother or sister
- •Older pupils walking to school by themselves or with friends
- •Pupils, parents and teachers walking to a specific point and back again e.g. a local landmark or town square
- •Pupils walking around the grounds of the school e.g. laps of the playground at break time
- •Pupils walking along with teachers and parents and younger children to a local park area
- •Walking competitions in the playground or local park between teachers and pupils
- •Pupils walking to their local swimming pool, library or nearby sports ground (if applicable) instead of taking the school bus
Organised event suggestions
•
- •School can organise a Walk to School day in fancy dress.
- •School can organise a sponsored Walk to School event for charity.
- •School can organise a Walk to School non-uniform day
- •Pupils who walk to school get off homework.
- •School can organise a health and physical activity week
Walk to School Week is a thoroughly worthwhile and enjoyable experience and will provide participating pupils with some physical exercise as well.
Assembly Guidelines for Principals
To help familiarize your school with the importance of Walk to School Week, below is a list of key points which you may find useful to raise during assembly or an appropriate group/classroom setting.
- This year’s theme is ‘Walk Our World’. Ask pupils to think of ways that walking to school could contribute to increasing awareness of their community and the natural environment. Perhaps open a suggestion box for their ideas – this will help to get children to think about the wider environmental impact of the School Run.
- Perhaps conduct a simple hands-up survey asking: “How many of you travel to school by car?” and “How many of you walk to school?”
Transport
- 40% of children in Northern Ireland travel to school by car.
- 20% of traffic on the road at 8:50am is on the “School Run”
- In the UK, over 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced each year as a result of the ‘school run’ which contributes to global warming and its serious negative impact on the environment.
- Road Transport is responsible for 25% of CO2 in the atmosphere in the UK.
- By 31 Dec 2007 there were 1,008,289 registered vehicles in NI, an increase of 74% from 1992. If all the vehicles were lined up that’s equivalent to a queue of traffic 4,500km long or from Belfast to Rome and back.
Health
- Walking to school contributes to children’s recommended 60 minutes of physical exercise per day.
- Walking to school can help control your weight and reduces the chances of suffering from heart disease or diabetes.
- Air Quality is poorest during the period of the “school run” exhaust fumes emit Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Benzene and Particulate Matter (P10’s). These gases cause headaches, sore throats, asthma, respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys.
- In queuing traffic, car drivers and passengers are exposed to three times more air pollution than pedestrians.
Safety
- Walking to school helps children practise essential road safety skills
- By the end of March 2008 the number of children killed or seriously injured had fallen by 56% from the average between 1996-2000
- As part of the Regional Transportation Strategy (2002-2012) Roads Service continues to invest in the walking and cycling network (£86.5 million) to make it safer and easier to walk or cycle.
- Only walk to school if it is safe to do so and if parents and guardians agree, they might like to accompany their child. Pupils should be encouraged to walk with friends.
- We are aware that at some schools it would not be advisable to encourage pupils to walk to school due to the existing local conditions, however, we have suggested a number of alternative walking activities for you to consider.
Climate
- The effect of climate change can already be seen. We are experiencing more frequent incidences of severe weather, temperature and sea levels are rising, and ice and snow cover is declining, all with potentially catastrophic consequences for the natural world and society. (Source: Sustainable Development Strategy NI, 2006)
- Climate models predict that Northern Ireland will see warmer, wetter, winters, with drier summers. The frequency of extreme weather events such as flooding may increase as rainfall patterns change.
- The UK Climate Maps programme predicts that temperatures in Northern Ireland will rise between 1-3.5 degrees centigrade over the next 50 years.
- Worldwide, 2008 was the tenth warmest year since records began in 1850. The 10 warmest years have all occurred in the last 12 years (Source Met Office)
Environment
- The timing of natural events such as the onset of spring may alter in response to a changing climate.
- The balance of species in our environment may change. (Source: Environment and Heritage Service NI)
- Rising levels of both green-house gases and other pollutants will result in declining levels of Air Quality.
- Rising sea levels will impact on low lying areas, loss of costal habitat, wild life, biodiversity and land use.
- By 2025 two thirds of the world’s population will live in water stressed countries.
(Source: Sustainable Development Strategy NI, 2006)
If you need any additional information or you wish to speak to one of the Travelwise NI team about Walk to School Week please contact:
Tracey Arlow (Travelwise NI, Schools Co-ordinator)
Phone(028) 90541402
E-mail Tracy.arlow@drdni.gov.uk
Anna Coates(Travelwise NI, Schools Co-ordinator)
Phone (028) 90540652
E-mail Anna.Coates@drdni.gov.uk
Changing Behaviours
Walk to School
Walking your children to school or walking with them for fun on the weekends can provide an opportunity to spend some quality time with them. Allowing your child to walk to school, the shops, the park or to visit friends and family will have many positive benefits for their development.
Cycling to School
Many children who do not currently cycle to school would like to do so. A 2001 survey of pupil's travel behaviour in the Lisburn City Council area showed that almost 50% of the children surveyed would prefer to cycle to school.
PARENTS: Don't be a taxi-driver, let your kids cycle to school
Safer Routes to Schools
Travelwise NI Safer Routes to Schools is an initiative aimed at encouraging pupils and their parents who use the car as their primary method of travelling to school to transfer to other more environmentally friendly means, such as walking, cycling and public transport, through a package of practical and educational measures.
Best Foot Forward For Schools
The Best Foot Forward for Schools programme has been developed to educate pupils, teachers and parents of the health, safety and environmental benefits of walking, cycling, car sharing and using public transport, particularly for shorter journeys including the "School Run" and everyday travel.
The programme is aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils and is delivered through a series of teacher led classroom and home based activities.
