Derrychrin PS Active School Travel Advice
At Derrychrin how we travel to school is important to us. We’re working with leading active travel charity Sustrans on the Active School Travel programme to help our school community choose healthy travel choices. We received our Silver School Award last year and appreciate your support as we work towards Gold this year!
We want our school and the area around it to be a safe place for pupils, so we encourage families to try an active school journey when possible, in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and encourage a healthy lifestyle.
There are so many benefits!
Mental health – Walking or wheeling with your child is great fun and gives families an opportunity to chat together on the way to school.
Physical activity – Family life is busy! It can sometimes be hard to get time to go to the gym or fit in exercise in the evenings, so an active journey is a super way to get some exercise early in the day!
Road safety awareness – Help your child learn important life skills on the journey to & from school by teaching road safety and good decision making.
Social – Our school values community. Why not walk in with friends and neighbours, or look out for our regular ‘walking bus’ events.
Environment – Reducing car emissions improves air quality in the local area!
Saves on fuel costs – Save money on expensive fuel costs and top up your ‘fresh air miles’ instead!
Tips for Journey Planning
Practice your journey together. This can help to check how long you’ll need as well as to find the most suitable route.
Walking is a simple way to start! If you live too far to walk the whole way, consider parking up little further away from school and trying a ‘Park & Stride’ journey together!
Many children’s scooters fold-up, so are easily stored in the car boot for a ‘Park & Scoot’ journey which is simple and fun.
Check that your child’s cycle helmet fits well and ensure that reflectors, lights and a bell are on their bicycles/scooters to help with safety.
Check the weather forecast the evening beforehand and plan ahead. You might need a coat/hat/gloves/umbrella at the ready or even suncream for the sunny days! As well as some bright clothing, especially on the darker days.
For some this might be possible every day; others a weekly/ fortnightly event. You could even have your own ‘Motivation Monday’, ‘Walk on Wednesday’ or ‘Fitness Friday’! We appreciate your efforts to start your family’s day the active way!
