Ten Shropshire primary schools have become the first in the county to apply for accreditation from a national scheme that helps schools to create, develop and implement school travel plans.
The ten schools include all five in the Severn Bridges Academy Trust – marked with a * below.
The ten are:
- Clee Hill Community Academy
- Greenfields Primary School*
- Burford C of E Primary School
- Mount Pleasant Primary School*
- Harlescott Junior School*
- Sundorne Infant School*
- Market Drayton Junior School
- Radbrook Primary School*
- Greenacres Primary School
- Oxon CofE Primary School
The schools have submitted their applications to the Modeshift STARS Travel Plan programme, and will now be considered for the entry level APPROVED Award in early January.
This will be a first for Shropshire schools aiming for a safer and healthier environment for children to get to and from school.
Once the travel plans are in place, the Modeshift STARS system will work with the schools to help them monitor and evaluate them. Shropshire Council’s sustainable travel team will work with the schools to help develop and implement the travel plans further, to enable them to aim for a outstanding level travel plan in the years to come.
Initiatives within the plans can be as straightforward as schools taking part in national campaigns such as Clean Air Day or Bike to School Week, but can also be infrastructure- related projects where the school works with the council to make improvements to the streets and pathways around their sites – such as pedestrian crossings, safety railings, and improved signage.
Kirstie Hurst-Knight, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children and education, said:
“I am so proud that Shropshire schools are now taking part in this nationally recognised awards scheme and wish them all the best of luck in achieving their first APPROVED Award.
“I hope we’ll be celebrating their success early in the new year and I look forward to more schools working with the council to join the programme in the future.”
Andrew Morris, CEO of Severn Bridges Academy Trust said:
“As a Trust we value the work all our schools have done to be the first multi-academy trust accredited with Modeshift STARS. The Trust is committed to promoting sustainable travel and we are very proud this has been recognised in the accreditations for all our schools.”
Modeshift STARS is the Centre of Excellence for the delivery of effective travel plans in education, business and residential settings. The scheme recognises schools, businesses and other organisations that have shown excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable and active travel.
