Best foot forward wins schools national acclaim

Twelve schools in Buckinghamshire have just won national acclaim for their work in getting pupils back on their feet in the past academic year.

They have won newly-achieved accreditation under the Modeshift STARS scheme, sponsored by the Department for Transport, for encouraging children and young people to walk, pedal and scoot to school.

The 12 schools achieving bronze accreditation for the first time, join 31 Buckinghamshire schools involved in the three-level scheme to promote active, safe and sustainable travel by families making the school journey.

To gain accreditation, each school develops a programme that:

• Encourages pupils to be more active through cycling and walking,
• Identifies traffic and transport issues for the school
• Reduce the number of cars outside the school to improve air quality and help reduce the impact of school traffic on other road users

One school – Elangeni, in Amersham – won promotion from silver to gold level, by increasing their levels of activity, while 12 maintained their gold level, six maintained silver and 12 maintained bronze for another year.

Nick Naylor, Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport praised the schools’ effort and commitment: “These awards really do count for a great deal in helping children to understand the value of walking or cycling to and from school.”