Eleven Leeds schools have been rewarded for their stellar performances reducing congestion on the city’s roads while keeping pupils fit and active.
The schools achieved bronze and silver awards under the national Modeshift STARS scheme, which stands for Sustainable Travel Accreditation and Recognition for Schools.
Each school reduced the number of children travelling by car through fantastic efforts promoting walking, scooting, cycling and public transport despite them all seeing an increase in pupil numbers.
They received their awards during a special ceremony held at Leeds Civic Hall on Thursday 12 December 2013.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s Executive Board Member for Development and Economy, said:
“At a time when travelling to school by car is increasing nationally, these Leeds schools are doing a great job helping to reduce congestion and encouraging children and families to lead healthier more active lifestyles, while making sure they stay safe on our roads.”
Councillor Jane Dowson, Leeds City Council’s Lead Member for Children’s Services, said:
“It is great to see more children gaining the valuable experience of travelling to school with peers from their local area. This scheme is all about helping young people to travel more actively, safely as well as independently and we are very happy to see all these schools receiving awards today.”
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Councillor Tom Murray and Mrs Edna Murray, attended the ceremony to present the schools with their awards.
The children were treated to a special performance of The Gift of Life pantomime. The play used fun, festive characters to deliver serious road safety messages about the importance of staying safe on or near the city’s roads.
Modeshift is a national membership organisation that specialises in active and sustainable travel and provides behaviour change support for those working with children, young people, families, school communities, educational establishments and places of work.
The STARS scheme monitors travel to school patterns locally, regionally and nationally. It gathers data on travel patterns, carbon reduction and improvements in physical activity levels.
STARS is an online system that reduces the amount of time and work schools are required to undertake on travel planning, freeing them up to focus on delivering actions that make a difference to travel patterns on the journey to and from school.
The system makes it easy for schools to plan their activities and upload evidence of actions resulting in nationally recognised accreditation.
Below is a list of the schools which attended the ceremony and the award they received.
Brodetsky Primary School – Bronze, Cobden Primary School – Silver, Cookridge Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School – Bronze, Ebor Gardens Primary School – Bronze, Gildersome Primary School – Bronze, Greenmount Primary School – Bronze, Highfield Primary School – Bronze, Horsforth Newlaithes Primary School – Bronze, Ireland Wood Primary School – Bronze, Seven Hills Primary School – Silver, Victoria Primary School – Bronze
