Our Travel Plan Targets

 

This school wishes to encourage travel to and from school by safe and sustainable means without damaging the contact between home and school mentioned as valuable by some parents in responses to the survey.

 

Our targets support our intention to meet three long term objectives:

 

1.      We will encourage and assist pupils to walk and cycle wherever possible.

2.      We will encourage public transport and car sharing for longer more arduous journeys.

3.      We will create a healthy, safe and happy school environment with improved lifestyles and air quality.

 

 

1.  We will encourage and assist pupils to walk and cycle wherever possible.

 

TARGET 1.1:  INCREASE NUMBER OF CHILDREN WALKING TO SCHOOL ON A REGULAR BASIS to 20% of school population IN THREE YEARS 

 

·        ACTION- Add a ‘Walk to School Wednesday’ type event to Term Two and Term Four so that: each ‘old term’ has a walking event where school community pupils and parents are encouraged to walk; walking has a higher profile; supervision is offered from designated departure point, e.g. Tesco car park; children are rewarded for walking.

 

·        ACTION- Identify children who live within walking distance but who do not currently walk, and provide road safety information for pupils and parents who live within walking distance of the school so that parents and children have practical information and are aware of safe practice as pedestrians.

 

·        ACTION- Request of local authorities a pavement or new road markings from Chelynch so that traffic and children are clearly separated; more parents feel able to let their children walk; car users are aware of the presence of pedestrians.

 

TARGET 1.2:  WITHIN FIVE YEARS INCREASE TO 10% OF SCHOOL POPULATION THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN CYCLING TO AND FROM SCHOOL

 

·        ACTION- Reschedule cycle safety training to the start of Year Five during lesson time so that older pupils are provided with the knowledge and skills to make cycling a possibility in their last two years of primary school (a new training course/provider may be needed for this to happen)

 

·        ACTION- Provide cycle shelter and lockable unit for cycle helmets so that users feel their equipment is secure; the bicycles ‘advertise’ the option of cycling to other adults and for younger children to consider as they grow older; safe cycling procedures are maintained

 

 

2.  We will encourage public transport and car sharing for longer more arduous journeys.

 

TARGET 2.1:  WITHIN THREE YEARS PROVIDE A BUS OR MINI-BUS SERVICE BETWEEN SHEPTON MALLET TO THE SCHOOL SITE

 

·        ACTION- Request support of the School Transport section of the County Council for provision of a bus service so that cars to and from the school site are reduced; the bus can operate in an economical and sustainable way; advice can be sought about the route and pick up and drop off points to ensure there is no extra car movement within Shepton; parents who opt for St. Aldhelm’s, even though it is not their local school, can make use of a safe and sustainable means of transport with insurance cover.

 

·        ACTION- Establish steering committee of governors and PTA for the bus if County Council will not support this initiative so that an operational bus can still be achieved; county councillors and/or the Member of Parliament can be informed of the dilemma created by the need to consider both school choice and damage to the environment.

 

TARGET 2.2:  REDUCE TRAFFIC ON SCHOOL SITE BY 20% WITHIN TWO YEARS THROUGH INCREASED USE OF CAR SHARING

 

·        ACTION- Promote car sharing through the provision of an authorised list system so that there are fewer cars entering the site; fewer cars are making the journey to and from school; and children understand the importance of a more environmentally friendly method of travel; parents are put in touch with others in their locality who wish to share.

 

·        ACTION- Give priority use of the car park to parents who car share so that there is a benefit to car sharing for those who take up this option; traffic on site is reduced; and parents will still have opportunities to maintain the link with school they value.

 

·        ACTION- Promote car sharing system at pre-school induction (SPRITE) sessions so that we can capitalise on the fact that Reception children are the most likely to car share; parents can meet each other following a school introduction; car sharing can be formalised from day one; parents don’t feel contact with school is cut everyday.

 

 

3.  We will create a healthy, safe and happy school environment with improved lifestyles and air quality.

 

TARGET 3.1:  WITHIN TWO YEARS ENSURE EVERY PUPIL HAS THE KNOWLEDGE TO ACT SAFELY AND IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY

 

·        ACTION- Review PSHE programme to ensure travel and/or environmental issues are taught in every other year group so that each pupil has the knowledge and skills to discuss and debate the relevant issues, make pertinent points in future travel surveys, and consider how their own actions have an impact on the environment

 

·        ACTION- Pass responsibility for the conduct of the annual travel survey to the Eco- committee so that pupils can have a growing sense of responsibility for the issues and, where practicable, for solutions  

 

·        ACTION- Attain the Eco- schools award using the standard so that the other actions contained in this plan can be considered within the wider context and all subsequent actions can be drawn up with greater pupil participation

 

TARGET 3.2:  CREATE A SAFER SITE FOR WALKERS AND CYCLISTS BY ACHIEVING THE FOLLOWING TWO ACTIONS WITHIN THREE YEARS

 

·        ACTION- Provide street lighting near the entrance to school so that walking and cycling to and from school is safer in the winter

 

·        ACTION-  Reduce congestion on Chelynch Park by providing a lay-by on the school driveway so that the flow of traffic is better at the start and end of the day, walkers are able to cross the road more easily, residents in Chelynch Park are not inconvenienced, and there is less frustration from drivers at having to wait to enter or leave the site