Active and sustainable travel to school

For schools we support the development and maintenance of School Travel Plans backed up by the annual School Travel Health Check (opens in a new window) . These tools help school communities to encourage and increase walking to school in two ways; firstly by reducing those car trips from within a realistic walking distance to school and secondly by working to gently stretch the distances over which walking is seen as a realistic option.

For parents we provide information and support to help them evaluate the impact of travel distances when choosing the right school for their child. Parents want 'A good school locally' but increasingly choose schools which are some distance away from home. However if they weighed up the negative consequences for their children and the environment of sitting in a car for a part of each day on the school run, they might be more likely to choose a school within walking distance. These negative consequences can include isolation from the local community and the health effects of inactive lifestyles.

The information we provide is realistic and evidence driven. We recognise that there are limits to both parents' time and practical walking distances. Nevertheless, there are still opportunities to improve the numbers of children who walk to school and great benefits to achieving this. This is why we work to help parents make properly informed decisions about the advantages of active and sustainable travel before they choose a school rather than waiting until after they have made a decision which makes car use the only realistic option.

• Sustainable modes of travel to school strategy

  We want to walk, cycle or take the bus to school, what is Dorset doing to help us?

• School Travel Health Check (STHC)

  The School Travel Health Check has its own website. This contains a wealth of information including school summary data. Go on, take a look to see how your local school compares with others!

• Updating your School Travel Plan

  For a School Travel Plan to remain effective it needs to be updated on a regular basis - we recommend an annual refresh to keep things current. Time is a precious commodity in schools so we have worked to make the process as lightweight as possible.

• School travel plans

  School travel plans are written documents which contain a package of actions and measures agreed by the school community to encourage more pupils, parents, and staff to walk, cycle and use shared transport on their journeys to and from school.

• Children's health

  There is national concern that some children do not get enough physical exercise and about the rising trend of child obesity. Walking and cycling to school can contribute to children's health and fitness.

• Name: Travel Choice Team
  Web: http://www.dorsetforyou.com/travelchoice
  Email: travelchoice@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01305 225085
  Full details for Travel Choice Team