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      • Travel and traffic
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      • Further information and resources

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Fact - road accidents account for a quarter of all deaths of school-age children (Department for Transport).

Fact - at 8.45am in term time, nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of cars on the road in urban areas are on school runs (Department for Transport).

Fact - 31per cent of children would like to travel to school by bike, but only 2 per cent do (Department for Transport).

By finding sustainable alternatives to cars for the school run, schools are conserving energy, reducing air pollution and contributing to local wellbeing.

Doorway booklet - travel and traffic

Top tips for sustainability in travel and traffic management.

• Distribute leadership by appointing a travel and traffic co-ordinator responsible for raising awareness and creating alternative travel-to-school plans.
• Think about how you can communicate the need for change to the whole school community, perhaps by organising a themed ‘alternative travel’ day or by producing a leaflet about alternatives to car travel.
• Work with staff, pupils and parents to compile a travel-to-school survey and use this to audit your current position and calculate your school's travel carbon footprint.
• Get students to research the personal and environmental effects of different ways of travelling and consider introducing a rewards scheme for students who use alternative to car travel or who car share.
• Enlist the help of parents: draw up a ‘walking bus’ route and timetable, raise funds for cycle racks and promote car sharing and public transport.
• Make your school a point of community information by holding timetables for all public transport services.
• Look beyond your school to what other schools are doing - do they have ideas you can adopt?
• Partner with other school to share resources such as transport for school outings.
• Consider continuing professional development (CPD) for staff to help them address travel and traffic issues through the curriculum.
• Look at what support and ides is available from external organisations, such as sustainable transport charity Sustrans.

Case studies

A sustainable approach to traffic and travel - Tarleton Holy Trinity Primary School

Everyone can lead sustainability - Colby Primary School

Empowering students and staff to tackle sustainability - Lampton School

Maximising student participation in sustainability - Ringwood School

Specisalising in education for sustainability - Liverpool’s Academy of St Francis of Assisi

From special measures to outstanding provider - St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School’s