Sustainable Travel
STARS – Sustainable Travel: Active, Responsible, Safe
STARS is TFL's accreditation scheme for London schools and nurseries. STARS inspires young Londoners to travel to school sustainably, actively, responsibly and safely by championing walking, scooting and cycling.
STARS supports pupils' wellbeing, helps to reduce congestion at the school gates and improve road safety and air quality.
We currently have the Gold Accreditation at Foster’s.
Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs)
We have an active JRSO team, consisting of two Year 6 pupils: Adam and Harleen, and two Year 5 pupils: Mel and Tom. They regularly meet with Sally Barrett (Road Safety Officer for Bexley Council) to discuss how we can promote sustainable travel, whilst staying safe at the same time. The JRSOs have lead assemblies and competitions, and made traveling safer for the school.
Walk to School Week
Each year we help promote the benefits of sustainable travel by taking part in Walk to School Week.
https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/what-we-do/projects/walk-to-school-week
Last year, almost 66% of pupils chose to walk at some point that week, instead of the usual average of 44%.
The Big Pedal
This was the first year that we have taken part in the Big Pedal, which is the UK’s largest inter-school cycling and scooting challenge.
Schools compete to see who can record the greatest number of bicycle and scooter journeys over two weeks.
We had a great response to this and around 35% of pupils scooted or cycled to school that week, which is far greater than the usual 16%.
Bikeability
Bikeability is today’s cycle training programme. It’s like cycling proficiency, but better! It’s about gaining practical skills and understanding how to cycle on today’s roads. Bikeability gives everyone the skills and confidence for all kinds of cycling.
There are three Bikeability levels, each designed to improve cycling skills, no matter what is known already. Levels 1, 2 and 3 take trainees from the basics of balance and control, all the way to planning and making an independent journey on busier roads. Each year, Year 6 pupils take part in the training.
Balanceability
This year we have a very exciting new programme, Balanceability, for our Reception children. Balanceability combines unique ergonomic balance bikes with a schedule of fun activities that build confidence, spatial awareness and dynamic balance skills enabling young children to cycle without ever needing stabilisers.
Pedestrian Skills Training
Through the introduction of child pedestrian training in Year 3 it is envisaged that a lifelong process of learning how to interact with roads and other road users will begin. We need to equip children with the skills and knowledge required to ensure their safety as pedestrians.
The main objectives of the scheme are:
- raise children’s awareness of the road environment
- reduce children’s pedestrian risk behaviour
- establish a form of practical training that improves child pedestrian safety
- aid the development of children’s road safety vocabulary, skills, knowledge and attitudes – appropriate to their age and development
- enable identification of safer and less safe places to cross the road
- develop perceptions of speed and distance
- understand the many dangers in the road environment
Our Year 3 pupils will be completing the Pedestrian Skills Training around our local roads. This is delivered by Teachers and Teaching Assistants, and lead by Mr Johnson and Mrs Moore.
Pupils are given a certificate for completion, designed by our very own Eve Driscoll in Year 4.
2016-2017:
Be Bright Travel Right
Year 6 also watched a play about how to travel to secondary school safely. This allowed them to:
- Understand the potential dangers of being unsafe while using the road network.
- Explore unsafe behaviours and attitudes.
- Develop the skills they need to safely use the road as a pedestrian.
- Recognise potential distractions that could affect safe behaviours.
- Investigate potential methods of getting to and from school.
- Understand how our behaviour can affect other road users
- Identify existing safety measures and use them correctly
