Park & Stride
Many families live too far away from school to be able to walk
and some parents have to drive on to work and so need to take the
car. Even the most regular walkers sometimes might need to take the
car, especially after school if you are going on to do something in
a different place. The Park & Stride scheme is a simple
solution to these problems and means that children at least walk
some of the way to and from school.
How the Park & Stride scheme works
The school locates a site such as a pub or supermarket car park
a good distance away (e.g. 5-10 minutes walk) and works with the
land owner to secure approval for the site to be used as a Park
& Stride site for the local school.
Parents are encouraged to park away from the school and walk the
rest of the way.
The Ashdown family from Southfields Junior School designed the
sign (right) to encourage families to park in the Glatton Drive
Park & Stride site. Heather Dawson, teacher at Southfields
Junior School said, ''The use of our Park & Stride facility at
Glatton Drive aims to reduce the volume of traffic and parking
problems at the school entrance. It also ensures that those
families using the car park can enjoy a calm, safe and sociable
walk into school.''
Benefits
- Cars are no longer concentrated in one mass outside the school
gates, making it safer for all.
- Children get exercise and arrive at school feeling fresh and
alert.
- The air around the school will be less polluted and
quieter.
How can I promote the Park &
Stride
scheme?
To encourage parents to Park & Stride you can promote the
scheme in several ways. A letter to parents is a start but it often
needs more work than that. Get the children enthusuiastic about it
so they encourage their parents to take part.
Here are some ideas:
- A 'role play' assembly about Park & Stride (maybe as part
of a general walk to school assembly)
- A poster competition for all children or a slogan competition
for older children.
- Use class charts to record the number of children who Park
& Stride (make sure those who walk all the way to school also
get points!).
- Award stickers to those who get involved and badges to those
who take part regularly.
- Offer car window stickers to parents who want to help promote
the scheme and encourage safety around the school gates.
- Contact Travelchoice - we can offer incentives for the
children, our Travelchoice mascot 'Carloss' and a press release to
get people even more interested and inspire other schools in your
area.