Harrow schools are leading the way in London when it comes to greener, healthier travel.
As the new school term begins, nearly half of schools in the borough have been recognised by Transport for London’s Travel for Life programme, which celebrates schools that make walking, cycling and other active travel part of everyday life.
Out of 36 accredited schools in Harrow, 27 have been awarded the top Gold status, up from 12 last year. A further nine schools have achieved Silver or Bronze.
Grange Primary School is one of the latest to strike Gold. From scooter training and bike lessons to a daily mile track and a popular walking bus, the school has been encouraging pupils to stay active, enjoy the outdoors and build healthy habits.
Cllr Hitesh Karia, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said: “This is a fantastic achievement made possible by joint work between our schools and our travel planning team. Thank you to everyone – teachers, parents, and pupils – who are choosing to leave the car behind and walk, scoot or cycle instead.
“Sustainable travel is a good way to help children stay active. Our schools are setting a brilliant example and I’d like to congratulate all our schools who have been recognised for championing active travel.”
Headteacher of Grange Primary School, Daniel Kerbel, added: “It is wonderful to see children active and moving in a healthy way.
“We would love to do even more, as we are competing with car travel and screen addiction.
“The gold accreditation has really inspired us as a school, and we feel energised to continue promoting active travel. We are lucky to live in London borough with such a fantastic public transport system and beautiful spaces to walk.”
The council’s School Travel Planning Team has been working with schools to encourage sustainable travel choices. Recent initiatives include the first Wheely Great Treasure Trail during Bike Week, Walk to School Week, and visits from Hip Hoppy the Hare – the borough’s sustainable travel mascot – who has been inspiring children to think about environmentally friendly travel.
Image: TfL
TfL’s Chief Health, Safety & Environment Officer, Lilli Matson, said: “TfL Travel for Life has gone from strength to strength, empowering children to make safer and healthier choices about how they travel. We’ve achieved a major milestone of 1,000 London schools at Gold accreditation, but we would love to see every school in the capital benefit from the fun and engaging programme and the benefits it brings for health and air quality. If your school isn’t involved yet with TfL Travel for Life, find out more by visiting our website or getting in touch – this could be the start of your school’s journey to a safer and more sustainable future.”
The Travel for Life programme awards schools Gold, Silver or Bronze based on the activities they deliver to promote active and sustainable travel, with the aim of reducing congestion, improving safety and supporting children’s health and wellbeing.
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