Newton Longville Travel Plan
Travel Plan LetterWalking or cycling to school can be an important way of including exercise into your child’s day and ensuring that they arrive at school alert and ready to learn. It also helps children to start becoming more independent and more aware of their environment.
At Newton Longville School we are fortunate to have a small working party who have worked extremely hard to establish a School Travel Plan and in July 2007 they achieved Level 3 status, thus gaining funding for projects to encourage more children to walk/cycle to school. Funding was used towards purchasing the cycle shelter. The school has now been awarded Bronze status for maintaining the Travel Plan at this high level for 2 years.
We carry out the Footsteps initiative for pupils in Year 2 and have recently introduced it into Year 6 to support pupils as they transfer to their secondary schools. This is a programme which is led by trained, volunteer tutors during the school day; for Year 2 pupils once every half term and for Year 6 pupils, in the Summer Term following a course in the classroom. The programme teaches pupils road safety skills. We have also had the zigzag lines extended to make the area immediately outside the school safer.
The PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) supports our Travel Plan and is often to be seen during our Walk to School Weeks.
Pupils in Year 5 are invited to attend a ‘bikeability’ course for which they are awarded a level 1 or 2. They learn biking skills in the playground and how to ride their bike safely on the road. This course is led by a qualified tutor. Junior Road Safety Officers are appointed from Year 5 and 6 classes each year. These children carry out initiatives within the school, including house competitions, giving presentations regarding a range of issues in assemblies and through maintaining a Travel Plan information board in school. They also have their own page on the school website.
We are aware that many of you travel into the village from Milton Keynes therefore we have a high volume of traffic along School Drive but we urge you to whenever possible:
- Walk, cycle or scooter to school.
- Use the Park and Walk Sites
- Take part in the Walk to School Weeks
- Park with consideration to other drivers, children and local residents - do not block driveways or park on the kerb and especially on the bend opposite the children's entrance.
- Do not block the zigzag lines or the entrance to the school grounds.
- Investigate the possibility of lift sharing with other families.
The Travel Plan Working Party.
