SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN AND HOME TO SCHOOL TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT STRATEGIES

1. INTRODUCTION...... 2 2. SCHOOL TRAVEL POLICY CONTEXT...... 3

2.1 NATIONAL...... 3 2.2 LONDON POLICY...... 8 2.3 HARROW POLICY ...... 8 3. TARGETS ...... 11

3.1 TARGET REQUIREMENTS...... 11 3.2 HARROW PROGRESS IN MEETING TARGETS...... 11 4 MAIN PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES...... 12

4.1 THE SCHOOL RUN AND CAR USE ...... 12 4.2 CYCLING TO SCHOOL ...... 13 4.3 WALKING TO SCHOOL ...... 13 4.4 PARENTAL SAFETY CONCERNS ...... 13 4.5 APPLYING FOR A SCHOOL PLACE ...... 14 5.0 PAST AND ONGOING INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS...... 15

5.1 SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAMME ...... 15 5.2 ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION...... 15 5.3 COUNCIL’S PROVISION OF SCHOOL TRANSPORT (SEN)...... 15 6.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ...... 16 7.0 STRATEGY...... 17

7.1 DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN (STP) AND RELATED MEASURES...... 18 7.2 INTEGRATION OF SCHOOL TRAVEL PLANS WITH OTHER PROGRAMMES...... 20 8.1 SETTING UP A SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN ...... 21 9.0 CONSULTATION ON THE SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN STRATEGY ...... 24 10.0 FUNDING...... 24

Updated: August 2007

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1. INTRODUCTION This strategy has been written to meet the duty on local authorities to prepare and publish a sustainable school travel strategy as required by the Education and Inspections Act 2006, the Department for Children Schools and Families1 and Transport for London.

There is an increasing problem with the growth in the number of children who are taken to and from school by car. The increase in school run traffic, impacts on the risk of accidents to children as well as contributing to traffic congestion and air pollution. It is also detrimental to children’s health as well as to the local environment. The concerns about the problems are present at nearly all the school locations and some head teachers/school staff and parent governors regularly patrol and advise parents about travel and road safety issues outside the school gates. Added to these problems, there is a loss of opportunities for children to acquire the necessary skills to be streetwise and lead a healthier lifestyle through walking and cycling.

The Home to School Travel and Transport Guidance published in May 2007 covers local authority duties and powers relating to sustainable school travel and the provision of school travel arrangements for children and young people. Further information about these revised requirements can be found in section 2.1.10.

The new guidance states that a sustainable mode of travel strategy should be published annually on the council website. The school travel plan strategy has been updated and reflects current information, issues and actions to deliver viable school travel and transport solutions. This document will therefore meet the requirement to produce a sustainable mode of travel strategy. In addition relevant school travel policies have been revised to reflect the expanded eligibility criteria that will start to come into force from September 2007. The changes include free home to school transport for low income families based on distance and school preference based upon the grounds of religion or belief.

1 Formerly the Department for Education and Skills

2 2. SCHOOL TRAVEL POLICY CONTEXT National, regional and local polices have all helped in developing Harrow’s School Travel Plan Strategy. A selection of the key papers that have influenced Harrow’s strategy are identified here.

2.1 National 2.1.1 The Government White Paper, A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone, July 1988 set out the Governments proposals for an integrated transport policy to fight congestion and pollution. School travel plans form part of that policy.

2.1.2 Following the White Paper, the School Travel Advisory Group STAG was established. STAG members are parents, teachers and governors, business representatives, road safety and school transport experts and a range of local authorities from around the country. The aims of STAG are to reduce car use and improve children’s safety on the journey to and from school.

2.1.3 The Governments Green Paper on public health Our Healthier Nation, published in 1998, sets out an agenda to improve the health of the population and to reduce inequalities in health by addressing the wide range of factors that affect health. Transport, mobility and education are all identified as having a major role to play. The Healthy schools Initiative was jointly launched by the Department of Health and Department for Education and Employment in May 1998. The objective was to raise the awareness of children, as well as teachers, families and local communities, to the importance of providing opportunities in schools for improving health, particularly the physical and mental health of children.

2.1.4 Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone was published by the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, in March 2000. This paper provided a special focus on reducing the numbers of children killed or injured in road accidents. Included in this paper was a target for the Government to achieve a 50% reduction in the numbers of children killed or seriously injured compared with the average for 1994-98. This paper also identified the need for children to walk and cycle in safety, their need of the freedom to use the roads for their social development and exercise for their general health and

3 fitness.

The action plan included in this paper identified four key stages in road safety education:

• Babies and very young children - through advising their parents and first teachers on protection in cars and teaching safe behaviour on the road; • Primary age children - through child pedestrian training schemes and later, cycle training, alerting parents to the risks of cycling in particular traffic conditions; • Older children - by providing road safety information as they change schools and go on longer journeys on their own; and • Older teenagers - providing advice as they contemplate more independent mobility.

2.1.5 In 2003, the Departments for Education and Skills and Transport jointly published ‘Travelling to School: an action plan’. This sets out how the government will provide schools with additional capital funds to improve the school environment and encourage children and their parents to make healthier, more environmentally friendly travel choices.

The plan draws on the experience of schools and local authorities and aims to ensure that all schools and local authorities take action to increase the proportion of children walking, cycling or taking the bus to school.

Actions include:

• Consulting pupils/parents and the wider community on travel habits and how to promote more walking and cycling; • Putting in place a travel plan to show how schools will achieve changes: ƒ including a description of the travel and transport issues faced by the school, safe routes to school, cycle storage, lockers, local speed restrictions, cycle routes, pedestrian shelters; and • Incorporating sustainable travel into the curriculum.

The guide shows how the government will support schools through:

4 • Providing an additional capital grant to schools with a travel plan; • Funding a network of school travel advisers in every local authority to support schools in preparing and implementing travel plans; and • Possible changes to legislation which would let a small number of local authorities try out new arrangements for home to school transport.

The guide mentions the need for schools, local authorities, transport providers and central government to work together to combat increasing car use on the school run, reduce congestion and contribute to improving children’s health.

2.1.6 A companion guide – ‘Travelling to School: a good practice guide’ – was also produced for local authority and transport professionals.

The guidance included:

• Better use of resources allocated to statutory schools transport. • Training for children on how to travel safely and responsibly as cyclists, pedestrians or passengers. • Improvements within and around schools (such as provision of lockers, secure cycle storage and bus bays). • Campaigns to raise driver awareness of school time travel issues. • Improved enforcement of speed, parking and other traffic regulations. • Involving other relevant players (such as recognition of school travel plan (STP) initiatives in the school curriculum, training for school governors, incentives for teachers and other school staff to promote STP and links with the local Primary Care Trust and health initiatives such as the “Healthy Schools Initiative” which has recently included the requirement of a School Travel Plan as part of its accreditation scheme.

2.1.7 In 2003, following the death of Victoria Climbié national debate on how children and young people are cared for took place. Following this debate, the Government published a White Paper Every Child Matters: Change for Children in November 2004.

2.1.8 The Every Child Matters White Paper identified the five outcomes that are most important to children and young people:

5 • Be healthy • Stay safe • Enjoy and achieve • Make a positive contribution • Achieve economic well-being

An outcomes framework has been developed to act as a basis for agreeing local priorities and planning local change. The framework shows the relationships between outcomes, aims, targets, indicators and inspection criteria. The outcomes where school travel can make the most impact are shown on the following table:

Outcome Aim Be healthy Physically healthy Mentally and emotionally healthy Stay safe Safe from accidental injury and death Enjoy and achieve Achieve personal and social development and enjoy recreation Make a positive contribution Engage in decision making and support the community and environment

Develop self-confidence and successfully deal with significant life changes and challenges Achieve economic well-being Live in decent homes and sustainable communities Access to transport and material goods

2.1.9 In autumn 2005 the Government published the Schools White Paper, 'Higher Standards, Better Schools for All'.

2.1.10 The Education and Inspection Act, which received royal assent in November 2006, put in place legislation for many of the proposals included in the White Paper and for some extra measures not included in the original white paper.

The new Act contains key reforms to raise standards, give parents more choice and schools more freedom to innovate. The main provisions of the Act concern Trust schools, Local Authorities taking on a strategic role and tightening the admissions framework. The Act also includes additional powers regarding pupil behaviour, nutrition in school and parental

6 responsibility. Harrow has established a project team to take forward the provisions of the Act.

The changes most relevant to school transport as a result of the 2006 Act are included in the Home to School Travel and Transport Guidance May 2007:

1. There is an extension of the duty on local authorities to provide free transport to: • Secondary aged pupils from low income groups who are eleven or over to a choice of schools where the distance is between 3 and 6 miles from their home; • Secondary aged pupils from low income groups who are eleven or over to the nearest school preferred on the grounds of religion or belief where the distance is between 3 and 15 miles from their home; and • Primary aged pupils aged over eight but under eleven from low income families to their nearest school if over 2 miles from their home. These additional requirements of the 2006 Act should be implemented by September 2008. Where children attend secondary school in advance of their chronological age for the purposes of school travel local authorities can treat them as having attained the age of eleven.

2. The powers to establish pilot travel schemes in Pathfinder local authorities to test innovative approaches to home to school transport that support school choice and increase the proportion of pupils travelling to school by sustainable means.

3. The duty on local authorities to assess the travel and transport needs of all pupils and prepare and publish a sustainable school travel strategy.

4. In addition to the above provisions, guidance on the 2006 Act also reminds local authorities that the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 places a duty on them to make reasonable adjustments for example provide home to school transport where parents are unable to

7 accompany their child along a potentially unsafe walking route because of their own disability.

2.2 London Policy The Mayor’s Transport Strategy (2001) is required to be in accordance with the Government’s transport policy but sets out a more detailed and specific policy framework for London. The strategy identifies ten key transport system priorities including: supporting local transport initiatives, including walking and cycling schemes, Safer Routes to School and road safety improvements. In addition, the strategy proposes that: London boroughs work with schools to develop plans that encourage more sustainable forms of travel and reduce traffic congestion at schools. In September 2005 the Mayor of London introduced free travel for pupils up to the age of 16 and, in September 2006, extended this policy to include pupils in education up to the age of 18 years.

2.3 Harrow Policy 2.3.1 Harrow policies in relation to schools are as following: 1. The council will encourage schools to work with the council in developing intake policies to ensure that they assess the travel needs of all pupils, promote sustainable travel and ensure that pupils from low income families are not disadvantaged in their choice of schools due to economic circumstances or transport needs. The council will also ensure that appropriate account is taken of parental school preference on the grounds of religion or belief.

2. The council will ensure that information is available to pupils and parents about who qualifies for support and the types of support available. Information sources include admission booklets, school grants information and the Special Needs (SEN) school travel policy and information leaflet for parents and carers, all of which can be found on the council website www.harrow.gov.uk. Alternatively information is available by contacting either Access Harrow 020 8863 5611 for information about school travel support, or the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Service 020 8966 6483.

8 3. The council will require schools, further and higher education establishments to prepare “Travel Plans” in conjunction with the council and make suitable provision for those cycling to school and for a range of sustainable travel options that meet the needs of the whole community.

4. Where practical the council will seek to co-ordinate school “Travel Plans” to ensure any possible synergies are exploited and will feed outcomes into the Transport Action Plan.

5. The council will review and develop travel support and community-provided transport for people unable to travel independently, e.g. people with disabilities, to ascertain how services can be better co-ordinated.

6. The council will seek, in conjunction with TfL and operators, to carry out a fundamental review of public transport services in Harrow to ascertain ways in which current services can more effectively meet requirements, covering all aspects of the concerns raised and particularly those of specific client groups e.g. schools, hospitals, older people or those with a mobility problem.

7. The council will seek to promote sustainable travel to school through walking buses, escorts, car sharing and other initiatives that are reflected in school travel plans.

8. The council will promote, support and encourage the use of bicycles generally and in particular for journeys to schools, workplaces and shops as a key element of the Strategy.

9. Prepare a programme of School Travel Plan works and seek funding from Transport for London for their implementation. Details of these programmes are contained in the School Travel Plan Strategy.

10. Liaise with schools when a local safety scheme, School Travel Plan or other initiative is planned and advise school community of progress and implementation of schemes.

9 11. Additional cycle training sessions will be arranged at middle and high schools that have benefited from TfL’s additional cycle parking facilities. Where possible these will be carried out within the school day.

12. The council will encourage and support schools, higher and further education establishments to draw up their own travel plans.

2.3.2 Harrow is committed to the promotion of sustainable travel, which includes walking, cycling and the use of public transport on the school journey. This is being done through the development of School Travel Plans, highway improvements for pedestrians and cyclists and in the school curriculum through pedestrian training and cycle training as well as walking buses and participation in “Walk to School” promotions. Schools are also being encouraged to promote and publish information about the nearest public transport and local cycle routes on school notice boards and in school leaflets aimed at staff, pupils and their parents.

2.3.3 Working in co-operation with schools, staff, pupils and their parents and the local community, it is recognised that a reduction in the level of school gate parking can be achieved. For those who have to drive, consideration will be given to car sharing and the promotion of parking away from the schools and walking to the site. Further progress will not be possible without the continued involvement of all parties. Harrow will continue to forge effective partnerships in its implementation of its School Travel Plan Strategy.

2.3.4 The development of this School Travel Plan Strategy will provide an opportunity for the school community to become more involved in travel issues and increase awareness for safety and environmental concerns in the local area. It will also promote the benefits of walking, cycling and use of public transport as a sustainable alternative to the car. The School Travel Plan Strategy will be reviewed annually and revised as necessary.

2.3.5 With nearly 90 schools and some 33,000 pupils in the borough, school travel is a major issue for Harrow Council. There is increasing concern about the number of children who are taken to and from school by car and the impact this has on local residents and peak hour traffic congestion.

10 3. TARGETS

3.1 Target requirements The Greater London Authority Act 1999 gives the Mayor of London the right to set statutory targets for all boroughs. In relation to school travel, the following targets have been set:

1 Boroughs are to work with schools and groups of schools to review travel to all schools by March 2008, with significant progress having been made by March 2006. This requires engagement with all schools with the aim of all schools to have an approved travel plan in place by 2009. Travel plans will need to take account of the new duty imposed by the Education and Inspection Act 2006. In reporting on this target, the borough is required to report the following: • School Travel Plans: i. Number and percentage of schools: • Where review of travel has been implemented. • Where travel plan deemed necessary and developed. • Where travel plan implemented. • School travel modal share: i. School trips by modes other then the car, proportion of mechanised and non-mechanised trips: • Work travel – modal share, non-car modes. • Work trips by modes other than car, proportion of mechanised and non-mechanised trips.

2. In relation to road safety, TfL and the boroughs are to achieve a reduction of 60% in the number of children killed or seriously injured by 2010. Reporting of this will be based on the London Accident Analysis Unit data.

3.2 Harrow progress in meeting targets Harrow has a very good road safety record and is proud of its low accident data. In 2005, the number of children seriously killed or injured in Harrow was 4 the lowest number since recording began and rose only slightly to 7 in 2006.

A lack of resources and staff sickness has hampered the borough in progressing

11 towards achieving the target for all schools having an approved plan by 2009. This has now been addressed by employing a dedicated School Travel Plan Officer. The School Travel Plan Officer is now responsible for improving travel awareness and modal shift in the school community.

The following shows the estimated forecast for the cumulative number and percentage of school travel plans to be completed by the end of each year.

2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 Actual Actual Actual Actual Number of schools 2 4 18 28 75 84 with completed travel plans Percentage of 2 5 21 33 89 100 schools with completed travel plans

4 MAIN PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES

4.1 The School Run and Car Use A small sample of surveys (less than 10 schools) carried out in 2003/4 – 2004/5 at Harrow first and middle schools show that the numbers of pupils walking to school is 59% and those who travel by car 38%. Bus and cycle use on the school journey at first and middle schools accounts for the remaining 3%. After more schools develop travel plans it will become clear if these numbers are reflected borough wide. Within these figures there is already a significant discrepancy between areas of different characteristics (reflecting car ownership). The numbers travelling by car is higher than national averages (by 8%) and this does contribute to traffic congestion on Harrow’s roads during the peak periods.

In addition, Harrow has one of the highest levels of car ownership in London with 44% of households owning at least a car/van, and 33% owning 2 or more cars. As a result, many households may own a second car that is available for the school journey and are therefore more inclined to drive children to school.

12 4.2 Cycling to School Parents have shown a reluctance to allow their children to cycle to school because of the perceived dangers to young cyclists. The lack of secure school cycle parking adds to this. Recent initiatives by Transport for London in funding secure cycle parking facilities may help to address this. There is increasing interest being shown by schools to the promotion and use of cycles and many now ask for evidence from pupils that they have attended a training course before allowing them to ride to school.

The promotion of cycling to school children is included in the regular visits made to schools by Road Safety Officers who are now looking at ways of including some form of practical training for pupils at all schools. Training carried out at first and middle schools lays the groundwork for encouraging cycling for children when they move on to high schools. Links to schools from the local cycle networks will provide better and safer access for pupils who want to use cycles on the school run for those attending high schools.

4.3 Walking to School Encouraging children to walk or cycle to school will improve their health and for first and middle school pupils will give them the road safety skills needed for when they transfer to high schools and travel on their own. The lack of road skills and awareness of safety issues is apparent with the current high proportion of road casualties in the 11 to 14 age group. The development of School Travel Plans will assist schools to promote road safety and support a change in travel modes. The inclusion of a requirement to develop School Travel Plans in order for Schools to obtain “Healthy Schools” accreditation will also help encourage the walking initiative. The works included as part of School Travel Plans and previously Safer Routes to School has also provided improvements on the walking routes by providing new or improved crossing points and better pavement areas around schools.

4.4 Parental Safety Concerns Busy roads, increased car use and pressures on parents mean that vehicle congestion on the “school run” is increasing and the number of pupils walking or cycling is decreasing. Many parents feel that they have no alternative other than to drive their children to and from school because of fears for the children’s safety both from traffic and other issues. As traffic congestion increases, these fears get worse and so does the traffic congestion. To achieve a significant shift in travel mode,

13 parents will need reassurance and convincing that they and their children will be safer as pedestrians or cyclists.

4.5 Applying for a school place Parents do need to be encouraged to select schools that are within easy and safe walking distance. Harrow currently enables parents to express a preference for up to four primary schools, any of Harrow’s community high schools that transfer at 12+, Harrow voluntary aided high schools and six schools out of the borough that transfer at 11+. Applicants are strongly advised to consider including schools close to their home address. Many children are most likely to be offered a place at their local school, which would normally be within walking distance. However, some parents exercise their rights to choose by selecting other schools that are further away from home. Such parents are more likely to use the car for the school journey because of travel difficulties. This results in higher levels of car use. The Council also has a number of faith schools that attract pupils from within and outside the whole borough; these again tend to attract a larger number of car journeys.

Since 2005, new admission rules have been in operation. These enable parents to express a preference for the school they would like their child to attend, ranked in order of preference. All preferences are considered equally. If parents can be offered more than one school, they will be offered the one they gave the highest ranking. Where a school is oversubscribed criteria for admission are as follow: • Children Looked After (CLA). • Special Educational Needs (SEN). • Children’s medical reasons. • Parents’ medical reasons. • Sibling link. • Attendance at linked primary school (middle and high schools only). • Distance measured from home to school2.

A limiting factor is class size, which should not exceed 30 pupils in a single teaching group. If any of the above criteria apply and more applications are received than there are places, the tiebreaker of distance will be applied. Distance is measured in a straight line from home to school. Within School Travel Plans the introduction of

2 As a result of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, account will have to be taken of the different distances allowed for pupils falling within specified categories.

14 regular teacher led hands-up surveys will provide information regarding any significant change in travel patterns.

5.0 PAST AND ONGOING INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS

5.1 Safe Routes to School Programme The Council has carried out a programme of Safe Routes to School studies to address the problem of car usage and encourage the school community to comment on problems and dangers that prevent them from walking or cycling to and from school. The studies also highlight to the schools the safety and environmental problems caused by cars on the school run and involve staff, pupils and parents in looking at ways that the school journey may be improved. Progress so far achieved on Safe Routes to School work is given in the table at the end of this strategy. This programme has now been superseded by a requirement from the Department, for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) for all schools to develop a School Travel Plan. The development of the plan gives the school community an opportunity to highlight existing safety problems within the school vicinity that can then be addressed by local engineering works.

5.2 Road Safety Education The Council has, over many years, maintained regular road-safety education visits to nurseries and schools to talk to parents and children about road and traffic safety issues. With the increase in the school run, talks have been focussed on the use of sustainable transport and the benefits of walking and cycling to children, their health and the local environment. They highlight to first and middle school children the need to change attitudes about the way they travel and for the need to reduce car travel on the school journey. Promotions for walking and cycling are pursued through the schools highlighting events such as the Walking Bus, Walk to School Weeks and Cycle days.

5.3 Council’s Provision of School Transport (SEN) The Council’s School Transport currently carries about approximately 460 children with special educational needs (SEN) to and from school each day using a fleet of minibuses adapted with wheelchair access where required and also private hire cars as appropriate for the pupils. It currently provides 24 minibuses for children attending Harrow’s four main special schools and additional buses for those attending special

15 units in mainstream schools within or outside the borough. Escorts accompany minibus journeys. Transport is currently door-to-door with escorts assisting passengers in and out of the vehicle and to their destination. Pupils who have problems that make group travel difficult and a number of those who attend residential schools outside the borough are transported by small bus or taxi. 51 taxis and small buses are currently used for this purpose. Continuing transport support is also provided for the majority of those SEN pupils when they are aged 16 -19 to attend college.

In some instances parents take their own child to school and in these circumstances, they may be able to obtain financial assistance towards their travel expenses.

Bus and taxi routes are regularly reviewed by the Special Needs Transport Manager to ensure that vehicles are used to maximum appropriate capacity and routes are rationalised wherever possible.

All drivers and escorts of buses and taxis are required to obtain Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance. The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act that comes into force in 2008 provides that the Council should also consult the barred lists (provided by the Independent Barring Board) as regards employing adults to work with children or vulnerable adults. In addition to this the DCSF recommends that all drivers and escorts taking children to school should have received disability equality training.

6.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of the School Travel Plan Strategy is to provide or facilitate safer routes to every school in Harrow through the development of a range of measures that will enable pupils to make all, or a substantial part of their journey by walking, cycling or by using public transport. School Travel Plans will form an integral part of this strategy. It will build on the success of Safer Routes to School schemes and integrate them with travel plans, traffic management and with health, social and educational issues. It also aims to ensure that no pupil is disadvantaged in their choice of school applications due to economic or family circumstances.

A School Travel Plan will enable individual schools to put forward ideas and solutions to reducing car use, identifying problem areas that currently discourage walking and cycling and increase awareness of other travel initiatives that will benefit the school

16 and local community. The plan will be an opportunity for the Council in partnership with the school community (including children, parents, staff and governors) and service providers to identify and propose solutions to address school travel related issues.

The following objectives have been devised to deliver the aim of the School Travel Plan Strategy: • To increase opportunities for all children (including those with special education needs) to travel to and from school in safety using environmentally sustainable modes of transport and thereby improving pupils’ independent mobility and reducing car use. • To remove deterrents to walking and cycling by integrating School Travel Plans with other programmes to improve the safety and convenience of crossing facilities, include mobility impairment and safety considerations into all schemes, increase the number of safe crossing opportunities and improve the quality of the pedestrian and cycle routes. • To co-operate with public transport providers and operators to make services more suitable for use by school and college students and to identify scope for additional services. • To promote the role of walking, cycling and public transport as a good alternative to using the car emphasising the health and environmental benefits, with a view to increasing the proportion of trips made to and from school by these modes. • To encourage individual schools to prepare, produce or review travel plans and implement related travel initiatives in partnership with the local authority, business community, parents, pupils, teachers and any other relevant body. This will help meet the target set by TfL that all schools should adopt School Travel Plans by the year 2009.

7.0 STRATEGY The Council has adopted the London-wide target of all schools in Harrow adopting school travel plans by 2009. The strategy will not only achieve a modal shift, it will also improve children’s safety and contribute towards the national and London-wide road safety targets (see Road Safety Plan). There will be two facets to the strategy: (1) development of school-travel plans and related measures and (2) integration of

17 School Travel Plans with other programmes. These are described briefly below.

7.1 Development of School Travel Plan (STP) and Related Measures The Council is in regular contact with all schools to promote School Travel Plans in the borough. This is done by letter and education circulars to head teachers and school staff and by regular Road Safety Officer visits. This gives an opportunity to make them aware of the DCSF/DfT requirements for the development and monitoring of Travel Plans and to update them on the quality assurance criteria that is updated from time to time by both TfL and the DCSF/DfT partnership. Schools will be expected to demonstrate tangible evidence of their commitment to encouraging safer and more sustainable travel to school such as the establishment of a Travel Plan working group to develop a School Travel Plan. The approach being taken is to build upon the enthusiasm from schools, their pupils, teachers and parents in developing measures that are appropriate to the local environment and to recommend possible engineering solutions.

The development of School Travel Plans will encompass all the schools in Harrow – private or public and those with or without facilities for SEN. No distinction will be made between private, voluntary aided or local authority schools. Every school will be encouraged to consider ways to improve pupil safety and achieve modal shift, and subject to resource constraints, will be offered support and assistance. Harrow Council will promote the School Travel Plan initiative at all levels, through the school curriculum, school assemblies, road safety workshops, technical articles, conferences, educational programmes, local community group meetings and PTA forums.

The Council will provide advice and information to schools to help them in developing School Travel Plans following the guidance notes and “Quality Assurance” advice notes issued by the DCSF/DfT from time to time. This will include advice and guidance on how to carry out travel surveys, develop effective working groups and set realistic targets for changing travel behaviour. The Council will also assist schools to carry out the required monitoring of the progress that they have made towards meeting local and London-wide targets and of individual school travel information.

Following development of several School Travel Plans, the borough will prioritise engineering works according to those that can achieve the greatest modal shift. This

18 list will be used to develop funding bids for the recommended engineering works and will link with other existing or planned traffic management schemes. This will take account of the number of: 1. Pupils that travel by car to and/or live beyond walking distance of school – the greater the number the greater the effort necessary to achieve modal shift but there is also a greater scope or latitude for: • Improved education of pupils, parents and schools on sustainable transport (including changing school policy) and its contribution to the local environment, • Assessing the role of home to school transport and whether to encourage or expand its use, • Exploring how education, social services and community transport could support schools, • Economy of scale in car-share schemes and in making a better, efficient and effective use of existing publicly provided transport services, including those provided by public transport operators and the specialist ones provided by the Council in relation to SEN. 2. Pupils that live within two kilometres of the school – will have dual purposes: (a) make it easy to identify, organise and develop a programme of road safety/awareness training and cycle training and parent escort roster for cycling or walking buses – all with a view to addressing parental concerns for children safety and (b) help identify traffic or engineering measure that should be undertaken, including: • Safer road crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists, • New or improved routes for cyclists and pedestrians, • New or more direct pedestrian / cyclist entrances to schools, • cycle storage and locking facilities at schools, • Traffic calming, • Controlled car parking outside schools, • Priority measures for public transport, • Improved conditions of roads and paths including provision of lighting and CCTV; and 3. Child pedestrian/cycle accidents within 2 kilometres of the school – the identification and treatment of accident black spots around schools will help allay parental fears for the safety or perception of safety of children allowed to go to schools on their own.

19 The preparation of School Travel Plans should include extensive consultation, including questionnaire surveys with pupils. Active involvement of the schools (especially the head teachers or board of governors) in the definition of local schemes will be essential in order to gain commitment and to ensure that the schools adopt their School Travel Plan. Schools will be asked to include travel information in their school prospectus and to remind parents of the benefits of walking, cycling and use of public transport when making their choice of school.

7.2 Integration of School Travel Plans with other programmes A key aim of this strategy is to promote walking, cycling and public transport as a sustainable means of travel to schools. It also aims to create safe, convenient, affordable and sustainable routes, benefiting not only the school journey but also providing a network of connected routes for the benefit of the whole community. The Council will pay particular attention to modal interchanges and appropriate planning of such facilities to assist in developing seamless journeys. The provision of information on the availability of such routes, as well as fare prices and timetables for public transport will assist pupils and parents in their travel choices.

The Council will therefore seek to ensure that the integration of the school travel strategy programme with wider traffic management measures, including those for walking, cycling and bus use. It will seek to achieve effective joint working and co- ordination of road safety education, environmental and health education, and awareness campaigns with plans for physical measures.

Officers from the Council’s Transportation Section are improving links with those in Adult Services, Housing and (Special Needs) Children’s Services. There is support at Director level across directorates as well as with relevant Portfolio Holders, to ensure that school travel issues and associated environmental and health benefits are regularly reviewed and the Council is active in promoting and endorsing school travel. This will ensure that the Council’s policies for more sustainable transport (and the School Travel Plan Strategy in particular) are reflected in its handling of school transport provision, and more generally in its contract with schools on transport- related issues.

Twice each term the Director of Children’s Services organises a School Heads and Directors meeting to discuss a wide range of issues affecting schools in Harrow.

20 Harrow’s School Travel Plan Advisor will be responsible for ensuring that school travel issues are raised at these meetings. In addition with liaising directly with school head teachers/managers, the Council has a weekly Gold Bulletin newsletter, which Transport Road Safety Officers and the School Travel Plan Advisor positions use for additional communication with schools in the borough. The School Travel Plan Advisor will also liaise directly with the Director of Children’s Services when additional issues are required to be addressed. The Director of Children’s Services is also responsible for the final sign-off of school travel plans before submission to TfL.

Close links are in place with the planners responsible for securing planning conditions and legal agreements that affect schools and also the transport planners who look at the impact of school traffic. Planning permission requests to the council will take into account whether or not the school has developed a School Travel Plan. This helps to ensure that school travel issues are integrated not just with health and education but also with land use and general transport issues.

Schools and governors in partnership with local police through the expansion of Ward based policing, community group representatives and resident groups have been involved in the consultations on Safer Routes to School schemes implemented at Rooks Heath, Vaughan, Stanburn and West Lodge schools. The Council will continue to work with these and others, including transport operators and TfL as School Travel Plans and associated implementation works are extended to all the schools in Harrow. The Council will also encourage schools to involve police officers, health visitors, school nurses, local residents, bus operators and other third parties in developing and implementing their own School Travel Plan.

8. IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME

8.1 Setting up a School Travel Plan Officers from Harrow’s Road Safety Team are available to help and advise schools about the process of writing and implementing a travel plan. They have contact with TfL’s Regional School Travel Advisor and follow the guidelines laid down by the DCSF/DfT for the development and quality assurance of travel plans in schools. Reports and information on the progress of schools’ development of travel plans is regularly passed to the Regional School Travel Advisor. Road Safety Officers in

21 Harrow already carry out a comprehensive range of road safety activities and visits to Harrow’s schools and use these visits to promote travel planning and to include the promotion of sustainable transport to school communities. There is also a link with local Police, the Primary Care Trust, Healthy Schools Co-ordinator and environmental groups to highlight health, personal and road safety issues and environmental issues that can assist in the development and sustainability of travel plans.

The focus on school visits has more recently been directed towards safe pedestrian and cycle use and has highlighted the problems of car use, road safety concerns, congestion and pollution in the area around schools.

Initially a small group of people from the school – head teacher or member of school staff, governors, parent representatives will meet with the officer representing the role of a School Travel Plan Advisor or Road Safety Officer who gives advice as to how to develop the plan.

The school group will ideally need to: • Appoint a school champion from the working group to oversee the plan. • Promote sustainable travel to school staff and visitors. • Promote walking and cycling for health and environmental reasons. • Arrange for pedestrian and cycle training to be available to pupils. • Include school travel issues in the school curriculum. • Look at ways to Improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists that may be addressed by traffic engineering works. • Link the plan with other school initiatives – Healthy Schools, Eco- Schools etc.

What the plan must include: • Description of the school – location, pupil numbers. • Consultation with staff, pupils, parents to identify school travel problems. • Annual surveys of travel mode for school staff, pupils and parents. • Identification of road safety problems on the school journey that can be addressed through engineering works. • Safety for pedestrians including segregation of vehicles and pedestrians at school gate. • Frequency of monitoring and review of School Travel Plan.

22 • Where appropriate, the promotion of: • “Walking Buses”. • Pedestrian training for first school children. • Participation in “Walk to School Weeks”. • Curriculum based activities and road safety visits. • Provision of cycle parking and the availability of cycle training for pupils. • Travel information for staff and new parents with recommendations that promote the use of public transport facilities, walking, cycling and car sharing. • Regular updates of travel information in school newsletters and publications. • Theatre group presentations on Travel awareness. • (For some SEN schools) specialist travel training. • Information as to how the schools will monitor and report the success or failure of actions recorded in the travel plan, on a regular basis, and any changes to travel mode and future initiatives.

School travel plan initiatives have so far focused on first and middle school children. However, in light of the LIP guidance, the borough is now addressing secondary and private sector schools to develop travel plans. In doing so, the council will seek to encourage partnerships with schools to develop travel plans. This will create a climate for action between the school and the Council to help deliver an all- embracing approach to home-to-school travel and child safety throughout the borough.

Schools taking part would be asked to develop a safety and environmental culture within the school and to encourage and involve staff, pupils and parents to take part through their class work. In this way, best use will be made of any improved infrastructure, encouraging a wider range of travel to school choices.

There has been some reluctance on the part of schools to develop travel plans because of the additional work required to set up and monitor the plan. Examples of travel plans developed by neighbouring schools are being shared with these schools and ongoing talks are being held with head teachers and governors to encourage participation.

23 Currently 28 schools in the borough have developed travel plans that have been submitted or are close to the stage of being submitted for approval. A further twenty schools are currently in the process of setting up working groups to develop plans. All schools were contacted in 2005 about the requirement to develop a travel plan with copies of the letters and advice also going to the chair of school governors. As a result of this, a number of schools are now engaged in developing travel plans.

Bids have been made to Transport for London under the Borough Spending Plan (BSP) process to develop travel plans and carry out School Travel Plan implementation works at a number of schools over the next three years and details of these are shown below. The Council has received a grant of £22K from the DCSF/DfT to cover part of the staffing costs involved in developing travel plans, which is currently being used to fund the School Travel Advisor position.

9.0 Consultation on the School Travel Plan Strategy As part of the Local Implementation Plan consultation, councillors and Officers from People First, and Urban Living were given the opportunity to comment on the contents of this document. In addition the draft LIP consultation leaflet, which referred to this document, was sent to all head teachers. A seminar for head teachers was held in May 2005 to discuss school travel issues and the transport Local Implementation Plan.

10.0 Funding The Council receives money from the Department of Transport and the Department for Children, Schools and Families towards the costs of a School Travel Plan Advisor. Transport for London provides funds to enable works identified by School Travel Plans to be implemented. The Council will actively seek additional alternate funding to enable increased resources to be directed into this area. This will include: Big Opportunities Fund lottery money, Section 106 money and Council capital.

24 Status of progress in development of School Travel Plan Pupil Enforceable School name School related numbers Development of School Travel Plan 20mph zone School (VA = Voluntary Aided) works (approx) markings

FIRST AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS Have spoken to headteacher - Alexandra School - Special Needs School 120 interested in cycling and cycle No No parking at school Aylward First & Middle School 470 No No

Belmont First School 220 School aware of the need for a No Yes travel plan Belmont Middle School 280

Cannon Lane First School 370 Proposal within Travel Plan in place 2006/7 school travel plan Yes Cannon Lane Middle School 350 and SRtS plans

Cedars First School 280 Works on a Schools are currently in the process 20mph zone Yes of a possible amalgamation Cedars Middle School 330 completed 2005

Earlsmead First and Middle School 440 Travel Plan in place 2005/6 No Yes Discussions held some time ago. Elmgrove First School 240 Problems outside school relating to Proposed school markings causing concern - No through travel Elmgrove Middle School 320 traffic engineers to upgrade marking plan with cpz (2007).

25 Pupil Enforceable School name School related numbers Development of School Travel Plan 20mph zone School (VA = Voluntary Aided) works (approx) markings

Parent governor has details of travel Glebe First and Middle School 250 No plan

Grange First School 290 Discussions held with head No No teachers and governors Grange Middle School 300

Grimsdyke First and Middle School 490 Travel Plan in place 2007/8 No Yes

Harrow Tuition Service 27

Hillview Nursery Centre 33

Kenmore Park First School 300 No Kenmore Park Middle School 340

Have spoken to governor about the Little Stanmore First and Middle School 230 In place No development of a plan

Longfield First School 300 Travel Plan in place 2006/7 Yes Longfield Middle School 350

Plan currently being developed by head teacher and governors - Marlborough First and Middle School 500 No Yes 2007/8

26 Pupil Enforceable School name School related numbers Development of School Travel Plan 20mph zone School (VA = Voluntary Aided) works (approx) markings Travel Plan written in 1999 as part of school expansion. The plan does Moriah Jewish Day School 150 not conform to current requirements No No and talks with the school to update the plan are in hand Engaged in the process of Newton Farm First and Middle School 270 developing a travel plan - Mrs No Yes Manju Radia - deputy head teacher Engaged in the process of Norbury First and Middle School 380 developing a travel plan - Mrs Julia No CPZ Drozdowskij - head teacher Pinner Park First School 370 As part of SRtS Travel Plan in place 2006/7 No process Pinner Park Middle School 360

260 SRtS works Pinner Wood School carried out No Yes 330 2003/4

Priestmead First School 380 Travel Plan in place 2006/7 No Yes Priestmead Middle School 380

Roxbourne First School 370 Head teacher off the first school (Miss Jane Frankau) has expressed Yes Roxbourne Middle School 320 interest, but no progress so far

Mentioned to Stuart Thompson - Roxeth Nursery, First and Middle School 460 No No setting up a walking bus

27 Pupil Enforceable School name School related numbers Development of School Travel Plan 20mph zone School (VA = Voluntary Aided) works (approx) markings

Roxeth Manor First School 340 SRtS works Yes - Main road Travel Plan in place carried out No only Roxeth Manor Middle School 340 2001/2

No - within CPZ St Anselm's RC First and Middle School (VA) 420 No area School is in the process of St Bernadette's RC First and Middle School developing a travel plan 2007/8. 430 No No (VA) Susan Morahan - deputy head teacher St George's RC First and Middle School (VA) 450 Travel plan in place No Yes Travel Plan written in 1999 as part of school expansion. The plan does St. John Fisher RC First and Middle School 360 not conform to current requirements No No (VA) and talks with the school to update the plan are in hand 250 Talks with deputy head teacher to No No be followed up - delayed because of St John's C of E School, Stanmore amalgamation of the first and 240 middle schools No No

St Joseph's RC First and Middle School (VA) 440 Travel plan in place 2007/8 No Yes

Proposals

drafted - St Teresa's RC First and Middle School (VA) 440 Travel plan in place No consultation Jan

06

28 Pupil Enforceable School name School related numbers Development of School Travel Plan 20mph zone School (VA = Voluntary Aided) works (approx) markings

Stag Lane First School 330 Travel plans in place No No Stag Lane Middle School 310 Recent meeting with Middle School Stanburn First School 370 head teacher and Chair of SRtS works Governors regarding parking carried out No Yes Stanburn Middle School 370 problems - School Travel Plan 2002/3 development discussed SRtS works Vaughan First and Middle School 500 2003/4 CPZ carried out 2003

Weald First School 310 Have held discussions with school No Yes head teachers and governors. Weald Middle School 350

Welldon Park First School 200 Have held meetings with head teachers to develop travel plan - left No Yes with head teachers to discuss with Welldon Park Middle School 230 governors

West Lodge First School 370 Travel plan in place 2004/5 2004/5 Yes West Lodge Middle School 330

Whitchurch First School 370 Travel plans submitted April 2007 No No Whitchurch Middle School 350

29 Pupil Enforceable School name School related numbers Development of School Travel Plan 20mph zone School (VA = Voluntary Aided) works (approx) markings

20mph zone Whitefriars First and Middle School 420 Yes proposed Woodlands First & Middle School - Special Develop with Little Stanmore F & M 40 No No Needs School School

HIGH SCHOOLS (12 – 16 age group) School manager is looking at the 725 development of a plan - possibly No No using an outside consultant ?? 709 Travel plan in place No No Contact with Ruth Dennison - 720 School governor currently looking at No No what is required to develop a plan Parent governor who helped develop a plan for Grimsdyke F&M 1209 No No school is talking to staff and governors Proposal through 1200 Travel plan in place No travel plan

Park High School 1120 Travel plan in place No No Meeting with Governors 10 May Rooks Heath High School 936 2007 - draft plan has been No No developed by Roz Corzberg (VA) 654 No No

The Sacred Heart Language College (VA) 675 No No

30 Pupil Enforceable School name School related numbers Development of School Travel Plan 20mph zone School (VA = Voluntary Aided) works (approx) markings School manager is aware of the need to develop a travel plan. School re-development is due Whitmore High School 1031 during 2007/8 and school manager No No has suggested that the STP be developed after the works are completed Kingsley High School - Special Needs School 40 No (PFI) Shaftesbury High School - Special Needs 100 Travel plan in place No No School

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Meeting held with head teacher and Alpha Preparatory School 209 (4-11) school secretary - to be re-visited

Buckingham College School 167 (11-18) The development of a travel plan was 130 (4-11) spoken about when Longfield F&M Buckingham College Preparatory School schools developed their plan. School Pinner Day Nursery 27 (2-5) did not think that it would be of any benefit to them. Proposed for 797 (13-18) None 2006/7

Heathfield School 632 (3-18) Travel plan in place 2005/6

Innellan House School 70 (3-7)

31 Pupil Enforceable School name School related numbers Development of School Travel Plan 20mph zone School (VA = Voluntary Aided) works (approx) markings

The John Lyon School 560 (11-18) Travel plan in place Proposed Have spoken to School bursar about the development of a plan to North London Collegiate School 1005 (4-18) help with local neighbour conflicts (parking etc) - to follow up in the new year Bursar has the information - will be 476 (4-13) developing a plan 2007/8

Peterborough and St. Margarets School 228 (4-16) Travel plan in place

Quainton Hall School 226 (4-13) No

Reddiford School 325 (3-11) No

Regent College 135

Roxeth Mead School 53 (3-7) No

TCS Tutorial College 64

32