Lord Williams's School Safe Routes to School
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Lord Williams’s School Safe Routes to School Safe Routes to School - the story so far Walking or cycling to school is an excellent way of improving fitness. Students who walk or cycle to school are more alert and ready to work in class too! Lord Williams’s School encourages all students who live in or near Thame to walk or cycle to school, following safe routes and travelling with friends if at all possible. We also hope that all students who come to school by bus walk to/from the bus stop in their village. Where there is no bus serving a particular village, we encourage families to share cars so that traffic congestion is reduced. Over recent years the school has worked with the local community and Oxfordshire County Council to promote safer walking and cycling to and from school. A small working group comprising school staff, parents, students and governors, met and developed a School Travel Plan. This plan outlines the main objectives we aspire to and specific targets to help us achieve them. Additional money from the government helped us to make good progress towards achieving our targets. Specific achievements We secured money from the government to help us redesign the dangerous access road to the Leisure Centre at Upper School to make it more cyclist & pedestrian friendly We lobbied the County Council to raise awareness of further dangerous crossing points in Thame Lower School students can now use a zebra crossing and footpath to enter school from Towersey Road, avoiding the car park exit that had been identified as dangerous The Phoenix Trail links directly with the Upper School site We have strong links with Haddenham Cycle training who organise training for students and families We continue to offer priority allocation of lockers to Lower School students in Years 8 & 9 who cycle to school We provide all new Year 7 students and parents with information about walking and cycling to school We have asked students for their opinions about walking and cycling to school through School Council We have developed a Commuting Timetable to encourage colleagues who commute to share cars Current issues and priorities We are developing more curriculum opportunities to study sustainable transport and learn about the many benefits of walking and cycling You can read about our plans by looking at our School Travel Plan, which is available from the school The Phoenix Trail There is a traffic-free route for cyclists and pedestrians from the eastern side of Thame to Upper School. Students who live in roads close to Pickenfield, Pearce Way, Youens Drive, Chowns Close or Moreton Lane can now walk to school along the Phoenix Trail. Likewise, students from Chiltern Vale and roads near Moreton Lane may enjoy going to Lower School via the trail and coming off at the Chinnor Road bridge to walk down Cotmore Gardens. What you can do Parents and Guardians of students living in Thame, Moreton or Towersey: Do you encourage your child to walk or cycle to school if possible? Does your child know the safe routes to and from Lower School or Upper School? Does your child have a well-maintained bike and fitted helmet he/she can use? Do you walk or cycle with your child? Do you need more information about walking and cycling? Has you child completed a cycle training course? Students living in Thame, Moreton or Towersey: Do you walk or cycle to school if possible? Do you take care and pay attention when crossing roads? Do you use a locker to store your cycle helmet and books (Lower School only)? School Staff: Do you need to drive to work? Can you car share to/from school? Can you car share when commuting between Lower and Upper School? Pleas for help! Please do not drop off students in the School car parks; at the beginning and end of the school day these are for staff only. Please drop your child a little way from the school and let them walk from there Please drive slowly on access routes and at entry/exit points if you come onto the School site at any other time Please be aware of cycle vandalism and report anything that is suspicious to a member of staff Contacts Amanda Sturdy, Premises Manager, Lord Williams’s School Nicky Stallwood, Citizenship & Work Experience Manager, Lord Williams’s School Daniel Cuell, Teacher, Lord Williams’s School Useful websites www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/safe-routes-to-schools www.haddenhamcycletraining.org.uk/ .