Park and Stride
Many families live too far away from school to be able to walk and some parents have to drive on to work and so need to take the car. Even the most regular walkers sometimes might need to take the car, especially after school if you going on to do something in a different place. The Park & Stride scheme is a simple solution to these problems and means that children at least walk some of the way to and from school.
- Parents are encouraged to park a good distance away from the school and walk the last five or ten minutes.
- They may park in a pub or supermarket car park with the agreement of the owners or just in a quiet side street.
- Cars are no longer concentrated in one mass outside the school gates, making it safer for all
- This scheme can work well before and after school
To encourage parents to Park & Stride you can promote this in several ways. A letter to parents is a start but it needs more than that. Get the children enthusiastic about it so they encourage their parents to take part. Try these ideas:
- A 'role play' assembly about Park & Stride (maybe as part of a general walk to school assembly)
- A poster competition for all children or a slogan competition for older children.
- Use class charts to record the number of children who Park & Stride (make sure those who walk all the way to school also get points!).
- Award stickers to those who get involved and badges to those who take part regularly.
- Offer car window stickers to parents who want to help promote the scheme and encourage safety around the school gates.
- Get the local press involved to get people even more interested and inspire other schools in your area.
Park & Stride stickers and badges may be available from your local authority school travel team or can be purchased from us.
