Information on Loughborough

More Harborough kids walk to school

Posted on 26/11/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Highways, Transportation & Waste Management

23 November 2009

More Harborough kids walk to school

The number of children walking to school is on the rise according to surveys across the county.

At many schools, the increase in the number of children arriving at the school gate on foot is down to the success of the County Council’s ‘Star Walker’ scheme. The scheme rewards children with a star every time they walk to school, and they can then swap stars for rewards.

Market Harborough Church of England Primary School has reduced the number of children arriving at the school gate in a car since beginning the Star Walker scheme in February 2008 respectively.

Prior to the start of the Star Walker scheme around half of the pupils at the school arrived in a car. Following the introduction of Star Walker, this was reduced to around 15% arriving at the school gate in a car.

Star Walker is designed so that even children who do not live in walking distance of the school can participate – parents park at a designated spot outside of the ‘Star Walker zone’ and walk for the rest of the journey.

Lesley Pendleton, County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation said, “The results of the Star Walker scheme are tremendous, and we are seeing an overall decreasing trend in the number of cars arriving at the school gate. This helps to reduce the problem of congestion and, hopefully, improves air quality in the vicinity of the school. Most importantly fewer car journeys improves the health and safety of our children.”

Following its success in the county, Leicester City Council are now considering introducing Star Walker into city schools.

Patrick Kitterick, City Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Culture said, “We hope that the Star Walker scheme will show similar degrees of success in Leicester as it has in the county. Our Road Safety team are leading a pilot scheme, currently taking place at Dovelands and Sandfield Primary Schools.”

To keep in touch with Leicestershire’s Road Safety and schools information, visit www.leics.gov.uk/school_travel_plans

Notes to editors:

Table to show Top 20 Star Walker schools (in terms of % decrease in car use)

Start_ Date School School Roll %age by car before %age by car after Difference 02-Oct-06 Blackfordby St Margarets C of E Primary School 67 80 12 68 09-Apr-08 Loughborough Sacred Heart Primary School 204 71 16 55 08-Oct-08 Whitwick Holy Cross Catholic Primary School 194 65 13 52 11-Sep-06 Whitwick St John the Baptist C of E Primary School 277 72 24 48 19-May-08 Rothley Church of England Primary School 298 61 13 48 09-Apr-08 Newtown Linford Primary School 76 75 28 47 09-Jun-08 Hemington Primary School 39 72 27 45 16-Apr-08 Moira Infant School 78 46 4 42 02-Mar-09 Coalville St Clare's Catholic Primary School 210 78 37 41 03-Sep-07 Asfordby Hill Primary School 109 46 8 38 12-May-08 Thurmaston Eastfield Primary School 199 51 14 37 01-Nov-04 Appleby Magna Sir John Moore C of E Primary School 136 70 35 35 20-Apr-09 Quorn St Bartholomew's CE Primary School 335 53 18 35 25-Feb-08 Market Harborough C of E Primary School 360 48 15 33 01-Sep-08 Stoke Golding St Margaret's Primary School 217 44 11 33 28-Jan-08 Loughborough Mountfields Lodge School 514 48 17 31 07-Jun-04 Hinckley Westfield Infant School 262 54 24 30 03-Sep-07 Whetstone St Peter's C of E Primary School 247 36 7 29 27-Apr-09 Oadby Brookside School 295 70 43 27 11-Sep-06 Coalville Broom Leys 617 43 17 26

Note: All data was correct at the time of the last Star Walker survey, the timing of which varies from school to school. School roll data fluctuates from term to term due to leavers and starters, and may have changed slightly since the survey.