What
Benefits can a School Travel Plan Offer?
There are many benefits to be had from developing a School Travel Plan, some of which are listed below:
| For the school | For students |
| For parents/guardians | For the local community |
For the school
- Helps to improve accessibility to the school in a safer, healthier and more sustainable way.
- Reduces traffic problems outside the school gates.
- Provides opportunities for learning.
- Improves relationships between all users of the school and the local community.
- Contributes to environmental policy and school development/improvement plans.
- Helps gain accolades such as the Healthy Schools Award or the Eco Schools Green Flag Award.
- Can be used to bid for funding including that from the County Council’s Safer Routes to Schools Programme.
- Contributes to the school’s Safety Education programme.
The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) is increasingly commenting on school travel issues as part of its regular inspections. A successful plan could enhance the reputation of the school (see Curriculum Links for further information).
For students
- Improves road and personal safety skills and increases travel awareness.
- Improves health and fitness through increased levels of walking and cycling.
- Improves behaviour both in the school grounds as well as on the journey to and from school.
- Increases knowledge and awareness of the local environment and community.
- May provide an opportunity for children to contribute directly towards shaping their local environment.
- Provides a range of travel options for the school journey.
For parents/guardians
- Reduces driving stress and improves journey quality.
- Improves community awareness.
- Builds links between parents/guardians and the school as well as each other.
- Allows parents/guardians to get involved with a school activity and feel they have contributed.
- Enables parents/guardians to make more informed choices about their child’s school journey.
For the local community
- Reduces the impact of the journey to school on the local community especially for the local residents.
- Enhances partnership working by involving local stakeholders in the preparation of the plan.
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