The council share this latest news. Ed
A number of primary schools across the Island have received a well-deserved award for encouraging sustainable travel to and from school.
The latest schools to receive the Sustrans bronze award are: Greenmount, Ryde; Binstead; Nine Acres and Newport C of E, Newport; and St Helens. In order to achieve an award, schools undertake a range of activities such as scooting skills and cycle safety training, aimed at educating and inspiring children to cycle or walk to and from school.
Cowes Primary School
The award is part of the Sustrans School Mark, a scheme delivered by Sustrans, the UK charity helping people to travel sustainably, in partnership with Island schools. It is one of 11 projects being supported by the Isle of Wight Council through its current Sustainable Travel Transition Year programme, using external funding secured competitively from the Department for Transport.
Executive member for transport and infrastructure, Councillor Ian Ward, said:
“Well done to the schools involved, on achieving their bronze awards and I’m delighted that the schoolchildren and teachers involved have been recognised for their commitment.
“I hope that their achievements encourage more schoolchildren, parents and teachers to walk or cycle to school.”
Nine Acres Primary School
Delivery coordinator for Sustrans South, Clare Dowling, said:
“The school run is a major source of congestion during the morning peak with as many as one in four cars on the road taking children to school.
“Increasing levels of active travel offers a solution to this challenge and our officers play a big part in inspiring increases in walking, cycling and scooting safely within the schools they are working with. For example, the number of young people cycling at least once a week to and from Newport C of E primary school doubled during 15/16, from 14.0 per cent to 28.5 per cent, since the sustainable travel project began last year.”
Binstead Primary School
A range of activities have been undertaken within the schools to achieve their award. For example, Nine Acres Primary School undertook a programme of scooter skills; a bike to school week; a Dr Bike repair station and counted scooters and bikes brought to school.
Head teacher, Beth Dyer said:
“It’s an amazing achievement to celebrate the success of the Nine Acres community’s commitment to active travel. We have learnt so much and through doing this we have created a more sustainable model. The active crew are closely looking at our next steps to silver!”
‘Whizzing Wheels Week’
Newport C of E Primary School had a ‘Whizzing Wheels Week’, Bikeability training for Year 6, car-free days and also undertook a daily count of how many pupils travel to school by bike or scooter.
Head of School, Kirsty Wallace, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Tom Ransom from Sustrans to our school assembly, where he presented us with our Bronze Sustrans School Mark Award! All of our pupils, especially our active crew have worked tirelessly to achieve this award. We are very proud of the whole community!”
These new achievements follow previous Bronze School Mark Awards to the following primary schools: St Saviours, Totland Bay; Shalfleet; Cowes and Holy Cross RC, East Cowes.
Sustrans School Mark
In order to win an award, each school involved in the scheme must demonstrate they have undertaken a number of sustainable transport activities under organisation and policy; raising awareness; empowerment; action; and moving forward.
There are three levels awarded in the progressive scheme, gold, silver and bronze and each school must demonstrate the following to achieve each level:
- Bronze is awarded to a school that has worked to bring about some organisational, cultural and behavioural changes which help the school community choose to travel in more active and sustainable ways;
- Silver is awarded to a school that continues to demonstrate its commitment to promoting active and sustainable travel, but with much of the energy and resources coming from within the school and its community;
- Gold is awarded to a school that has demonstrated ongoing commitment to promoting active and sustainable travel over several years, which has led to significant and lasting organisational, cultural and behavioural changes.
