Newlaithes Infant and Junior schools are joining the countywide Walk on Wednesday scheme - WOW - this Wednesday (6 December), with children and parents arriving at the school en masse to mark the event.
WOW has already attracted 30 primary schools in the county, involving over 3,000 children and accompanying parents and staff.
The children and parents will be at the school between 8.45am and 9.00am, fitting in with the normal school start time. Also on hand will be ‘Strider’, the National WOW mascot who has recently been touring the country.
Many children will be wearing high visibility arm bands and others will be wearing high visibility vests supplied by local company 3M. All children and staff who are taking part in WOW receive a 'walking passport' to record their journeys to school. When the children arrive their passports will be stamped by ‘WOW WATCHDOG’ volunteer children wearing their WOW t-shirts
WOW encourages children to put their best foot forward for the whole academic year. They are walking to school every Wednesday come rain or shine – and hopefully on other days as well.
Those who manage a 100% record every half term are rewarded with a special enamel badge. Schools who have already taken part in the scheme found that congestion outside dramatically reduced with the number of children walking to school rising by 25-30%.
Judith Aris, Better Ways to School Travel Adviser said:
"The badges are a fantastic incentive for the children and the staff love them too. Everyone is benefiting from walking to school. Schools which took part last year really embraced the whole idea of walking to school and came up with fantastic results.
"The schools are delighted that the children are more alert when they arrive, learn road safety skills on the way to and from school and are building in exercise as part of their daily lives.
“We really need the parents to get behind this and give it their full support.”
There are also 15 walking buses up and running in the county. Better Ways to School would ideally like all the schools taking part in WOW to set up walking buses.
Jan Massey, headteacher of Newlaithes Infant School, said:
"The Walk on Wednesdays scheme is encouraging some children to walk to school who were previously coming by car.
"Some parents who normally need to bring their children by car on their way to work have even made arrangements to take them to grandparents on Wednesdays so that they can take part. The children really enjoy having their passports stamped and hopefully will continue to walk to school after the project finishes."
More information is available at www.bwts.net or www.walktoschool.org.uk
ENDS
Further information from Judith Aris at Capita on 01768 242316 / 07795 827112
You are invited to send a reporter/photographer to Newlaithes Infant School at 8.45am on Wednesday 6 December
A member of the Better Ways to School Team and parents, children and staff from Newlaithes Infant School will be available for comment.
Notes for Editors
Walk on Wednesday (WOW) is a National initiative
The Better Ways to School Scheme is a Cumbria County Council/Capita Symonds Initiative
Walk on Wednesday was trialled with 12 schools throughout Cumbria last year. Congestion outside these schools dramatically reduced with the uptake of children walking to school rising by 25-30%.
15 schools have already set up walking buses to accommodate children walking to school
Newlaithes Infants is also involved in Cumbria County Council’s Better Ways to School programme and they hope to reduce the number of cars travelling to school dramatically. They are setting up a walking bus and looking to provide a shelter for parents waiting outside for their children
Nationally the number of children that walk to school has dropped over the years, as more and more parents opt for the car to do the school run. The results of the Department for Transport National Travel Survey shows that in 1985-86, 67% of UK children aged 5-10 walked to school, but by 1999-2000 this figure had fallen to 54%. Over the same period, the percentage of primary school children driven to school has increased from 22% to 39%. One third of boys and two fifths of girls do not achieve the recommended weekly physical activity level.
WOW also will be launched simultaneously at Millom Infant School and Ulverston CE Infant School with children wearing high visibility vests donated by 3M