Safe and sustainable travel to school

The School Safer Travel Plan

We are working with outside agencies in the drafting of the plan and have consulted our principles stakeholders – our pupils, parents and teachers.

Why are we doing this?

The school is in its second year of raising awareness about safer road use.  Although we have always taken road safety seriously, an accident on Wychall Lane just below the school gates involving a pupil then in Year 8, in the Summer Term 2006, emphasised the dangerous nature of this busy road. As a result, road safety became a priority in the School Improvement Plan and a campaign was launched to raise awareness of the need to use good road sense at all times, and in particular to use the designated pedestrian crossing. 

It became clear, when talking to pupils, that there was a misunderstanding amongst them and that the red tarmac outside of the school gates was seen as a ‘safe’ area to cross.  The campaign was aimed at all years in the school from Year 7 to Year 13.  Special assemblies and workshops, provided by the Road Safety Team of the City Council, were held for Year 7 in particular because of our concern for pupils who were now travelling greater distances to school, using public transport and having to cross main roads, having beforehand gone to a school in their neighbourhood and had the benefit of a ‘Crossing Lady’. 

Year 7 and 8 in addition to these assemblies, were also given a talk by a member of the Police Force based at Kings Norton Police Station.  Lower School pupils also took part in a poster competition, with the winning entries being displayed as posters around the school.  This was done because it is recognised that pupils very much take notice of something when it is their peers talking to them.  Finally, they have been given a talk by the Safer Travel Team, concentrating particularly on safer bus travel.

Year 9 and 10 were given a hard-hitting presentation, lasting an hour, by Your Choice on the Road, a team presentation given by West Midlands Fire Service, headed up by Paul Guyver.  The team has with a particular responsibility to raise awareness among young people of the dangers of speeding vehicles, both for the driver and for pedestrians.  They used video and still images to present the injuries of people involved in car accidents.  Special permission from parents had to be sought before the presentation could be given because of the direct and sometimes shocking nature of the images.  As a climax to the presentation and something not anticipated by the audience, the victim of the last accident presented, Stuart Fisher, joined the pupils in the assembly hall, wheeled on in his wheel chair by his parents. He was the innocent victim of someone else’s speeding vehicle.  The student body broke into spontaneous applause at his entry.  Although Stuart found speech difficult, with the aid of a microphone, he was able to talk to the audience and to reinforce the dangers of road use and speeding vehicles. There is not doubt that the message was clear, strong and fully understood. 

Years 12 and 13 have had a presentation from The Red Driving School, looking at the dangers of driving, especially for young and new drivers, and in particular the dangers and temptation of speed. 

In writing the School Travel Plan, we are widening our area of focus to include safe and sustainable travel for our young people.  Presentations by the Safer Travel Team have been given to Years 7 to 11 this autumn term with a particular focus on safer travel on the buses.

Travel Surveys – What do they tell us?

Pupil Survey 

• The children attending the school took part in a survey in September, 2007.  950 children, out of 1200, completed the survey which is 79% of the children attending the school.
• Of the pupils surveyed, 24% currently walk to school and 45% come by public transport.
• 15% only come by car.
• 3% use a bicycle and 3% car share.  This suggests that both of these aspects are areas for improvement.
• When asked how they would prefer to travel to school, 17% indicated that they would like to cycle which accounts partly for the reduced figure of 16% for using a bus.
• 38% of pupils surveyed live with a 2km radius of the school. However, 19% live more than 5km away.

In answering the question ‘what would makes walking or cycling to school better?’, 33%  and 31% indicated locker facilities which would be a difficulty for the school because of space and suitable siting.  Lockers also featured in the response to travelling to school by bus.

Parent Survey Results

• 54% of parents surveyed said that they were very concerned about the volume of traffic on Wychall Lane.
• 90 parents want to reduce the volume of traffic near to school and 121 want to reduce the speed of vehicles.  Speed of vehicles using Wychall Lane has been recognised as a problem of residents. (see earlier section.)
• 132 parents said that is was very important to increase the safety of children on a school journey.
• Half of the parents surveyed said that they would consider a ‘park and stride’ scheme.
• 43% of parents who bring their child to school by car, go on to work.
• 62% of parents who bring their child to school, park on a road near the school.

Staff Travel Results

• Many staff travel a considerable distance to school and feel that public transport is not appropriate at this time because of the increase in time of the journey. 
• However, 14 of the 41 staff surveyed said that they would be interested in a car-sharing scheme.

The school was awarded the Healthy School Accreditation in Spring 2007, the school is committed to providing the students that attend the school with safe sustainable forms of transportation.