Travel Initiatives

For more information on Walk to School & Cycling initiatives please read this.

Walking Initiatives

Walk to School Month runs from 1st-31st October and is an opportunity not to be missed for promoting walking at your school. For Walk to School Week 2010 the theme was Walk Your Way, focussing on how walking to school helps children learn vital orientating skills to help them navigate and get to know their local area, improving confidence and safety.

Walk to School Month – October 2010

Walk to School Week takes place every year and is a great success.  Currently approximately 250,000 children take part in WoW, which is about 10% of schools in the country. An array of resources are produced for schools to make this week a fantastic experience for their pupils. Check the Walk to School 10 page for more info or have a read of Previous Walk to School Weeks to see what took place! The next Walk to School Week takes place during May 2011.

Resources

Cycling Initiatives

Cycling is an excellent way to get to school, it is healthy, cheap and environmentally friendly. It is also quicker than walking, so allowing you to travel a greater distance in the same time.

Bike Week is an annual opportunity to promote cycling and show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life. Demonstrating the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling, the week aims to get people to give cycling a go all over the UK. Bike Week 2011 will take place 18th – 26th June nationwide

The Safe Routes to School initiative which is coordinated by Sustrans provides valuable information and support for schools and parents interested in cycling and walking to school.

  • Cycle to School -Cycling Scotland has created Cycle Friendly Zones around schools in Renfrewshire, Fife, South Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and East Ayshire, where drivers are being asked to give kids cycle space, so that children can make a safe and pleasant journey to school by bike.
  • Ready, Steady, Bike – Uses a 10-card session plan resource for children of 4-10 yrs (P5 in East Ayrshire), the main level of delivery will be FUNdamental cycle control skills. A good pre-cursor for Cycling Proficiency.
  • Cycling Proficiency – This is a qualification aimed at training children in primary 6 on-road cycling skills from the basics of learning to ride to cycling on busier roads. Delivers a good level of standard before progressing to on-road cycle training.
  • On-road Cycle Training – Utilises the skills learned in previous cycle training for primary 7 pupils to develop an advanced awareness of on-road cycling in conjunction with East Ayrshire Council Roads Transport Dept. Only pupils who have passed their Cycling Proficiency are eligible for this training.

* Cycling Scotland has launched a new scheme to encourage cycling to school. The Cycle Friendly School Award is a new scheme that recognises schools that provide all the required infrastructure for cycling, and provide incentives and promotion to encourage pupils to do it.