Sustainable travel and road safety in schools

By switching off your car engine when stationary you’ll reduce air pollution. It really is that simple!

If everyone makes this small change, it will make a big difference to the quality of the air we all breathe. Engine idling, leaving your car engine running when stationary, is a major and totally unnecessary contributor to air pollution and can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, lung cancer and asthma.

Children are particularly at risk from the harmful chemicals emitted from cars as their lungs are still developing. The air they breathe now can affect their health for life.

Did you know?

• An idling engine emits 20 times more pollution that a car travelling at 32mph.
• On average, one car emits the equivalent of 150 balloons of pollution every minute its engine is left running.
• Air pollution tends to gather a metre off the ground, so children are particularly vulnerable.
• People inside cars are also exposed to high levels of air pollution, with children especially at risk from the harmful effects.

For schools we have a range of free initiatives available for you to run your own campaign to raise parent’s awareness of the dangers of leaving their engines idling outside the school gate. These include

• An information leaflet for parents that can be included in newsletters and webpages.
• A presentation of facts that teachers can use as part of a persuasive writing lesson, art class for designing posters or part of an Eco Club campaign.
• An extensive range of banners and signs that can be displayed on railings. We also have lamppost signs that can be placed on roads away from the school gate.

To request resources or ask for further information please email amatharu@solihull.gov.uk.

A school travel plan is a series of practical steps for tackling traffic problems outside the school gate. It will help to improve the environment, air quality and pollution levels around school as well as increasing children's safety whilst also promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. A travel plan will also benefit both the school and the wider community by reducing the numbers of cars on the road at peak times.

We encourage all education establishments to develop their travel plans on the ModeShift STARS platform. Schools can use a comprehensive travel planning tool that’s free to use and makes it easy for schools to create and maintain their travel plans.

For help with getting started, please email environ2@solihull.gov.uk.

Available for hire, free of charge. The kit contains traffic-related play equipment for a whole class and comes with a range of educational worksheets. They are suitable for children in nursery or reception.

For more information contact us.

Classroom sessions to raise young children’s awareness of the importance of road safety and to give them basic skills to keep themselves safe when out and about.

For more information then please contact us.

In Year 6, pupils consider the impact on the environment from their travel choices as they prepare to move up to secondary school. In Year 7 pupils are encouraged to reflect on their new journey and are made aware of the dangers of distractions while travelling to school. There is also a short road safety session for Year 8 pupils that can be delivered as part of a tutor session.

For more information please contact us.

An initiative for secondary schools delivered jointly by Solihull Council, ModeShift and the Bikeability Trust.

A team of students are supported to develop and deliver a campaign to encourage their peers to walk, cycle or use public transport to promote a healthy lifestyle, to reduce traffic congestion and to improve air quality outside school. Students present their ideas at an event in front of a panel to gain funding of up to £250 to implement their campaigns.

For more information please contact us.

Our cycle team offer a range of activities funded by the Bikeability Trust.

Bikeability is the Department for Transport’s national award scheme for cycle training in England primarily for children and young people. It is a progressive programme in which riders first master cycle handling skills in motor traffic-free environments (Level 1), then develop skills and confidence to cycle on single-lane roads and simple junctions with mostly moderate motor traffic flows (Level 2), before tackling often busier or faster, sometimes multilane roads and complex junctions (Level 3).  

For further information please visit Cycle Activities in Solihull.

A fun and exciting initiative to improve the scooting skills of primary aged children and to encourage them to see scooting as an enjoyable and sustainable way to travel to school.

For more information, please contact us.

A Walking Bus is a great idea to encourage children to adopt a healthier way to travel to school and helps tackle the problems associated with school gate parking.

The Sustainable Travel Team can help you set up a bus at your school by giving you support with route planning, risk assessments and the training of adult supervisors. If you are a parent, teacher or governor at a school and would like more information on how to set up a Walking Bus then please contact us.

Park and Stride is a great initiative for schools who are experiencing a problem with parental parking outside schools. Rather than parking close to the school gates, parents are encouraged to park further away from school and walk the rest of the journey.

If this is something you feel could be of benefit to your school then please contact the Sustainable Travel Team who will be able to assist you with identifying suitable alternative parking locations, carry out a risk assessment and be able to help with publicising the scheme to parents. For further information please contact us.

Access the 20 minute Good Eggs Safety Guides for:

• your complete guide to car child seats
• a complete guide to getting your driving licence and keeping it

Many schools across the borough experience high levels of air pollution at the beginning and end of the school day which can have a serious impact on young people’s health.

Working with the whole school community is one of the priorities within our Clean Air Strategy to reduce air pollution across the borough.

Whilst all our sustainable travel initiatives that encourage walking, cycling, scooting and the use of public transport contribute to the Clean Air Strategy, there is particular emphasis on the following;

• Solihull School Streets - we will continue to look at introducing the scheme to schools that we feel would benefit from a predominantly car free zone outside the school in the morning and at home time
• ModeShift STARS - we will encourage schools to sign up to this national accreditation scheme that enables schools to produce their own Green School Travel Plans whilst gaining national recognition
• Breathe Easy air quality sessions - includes an assembly suitable for Key Stages 1 and 2 and a lesson for Year 5. This initiative increases children’s knowledge of why clean air is important and encourages them to think of the consequences of their travel choices on air quality.
• New Roads transition lessons - preparing Year 6,7 and 8 children to travel to school sustainably and safely.
• Engines Off, Young Lungs at work - an anti-idling engine campaign to encourage parents to switch off their car engines while waiting outside school
• Greener Solihull Schools Award - providing support and encouragement for schools to include Air Quality as part of their school’s award bid

Independent travel training is a service that teaches children and young adults with special educational needs (SEN) to travel safely with independence and confidence. These are personalised one to one sessions based around an individual’s needs.

The team also includes our School Transport Guide Trainer, who trains guides so they are equipped in their role as a guide on our home to school transport vehicles. We also have a Travel Options Assessment Officer, who assists families in receiving a form of travel assistance that is most appropriate for them.