Withycombe Raleigh C of E Primary School
Headteacher Mrs E Jones
Withycombe Village Road, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 3BA. Tel: (01395 263397)
Active and Safe Travel to School
We encourage active, safe travel to our school, whether that's walking, scooting or cycling. Active travel to school helps young people to develop road safety skills and become more confident and independent. Actively travelling to school can contribute towards the recommended one hour a day of physical activity.
Encouraging children to walk, cycle and scoot will reduce congestion and pollution around the school gates. It will also help your child’s mental and physical health.
Top Tips for walking with children
Teachers find that pupils who walk and cycle arrive at school more relaxed, alert and ready to start the day than those who travel by car.
Parents find that the time spent actively travelling with their children is great social time - they are more likely to chat about their day on a stroll home!
We help children to acquire the skills to cycle to school. We run 'Bike Ability' sessions in school each year to help children to be more confident on their bikes, and learn road safety skills. As children gain the skills they need to stay safe, they can develop independence, discovering strategies and solutions for getting about by themselves as they get older.
Of course an adult should accompany younger children and help older children get used to their route until they’re ready to go it alone!
We have several covered bike and scooter racks in school to store your child's travel gear.
Top tips to get your child walking or cycling to school, especially for the first few days or if they are beginning to travel on their own:
-
Plan your route together in advance, finding quieter roads and cycle paths wherever possible;
-
Practise the journey at the weekend when the roads are likely to be quieter;
-
Accompany your child for a few days. As they gain confidence, gradually reduce how far you go;
-
Make sure they know how to deal with any busier junctions or roads;
-
Encourage them to find a friend to walk or cycle with them;
-
Encourage them to use school crossing patrols where possible
We have built a great relationship with Sustrans South West, who kindly donated some balance bikes and helmets to our foundation children. These bikes encourage children to gain confidence on two wheels, so they can progress onto peddle bikes. Martin Burrows (pictured) also spent some time teaching the children how to ride the bikes.
These bikes, along with some fun vehicles donated by the school PTFA, are much loved by the children who can ride them safely around the playground.
Balance bike photos courtesy of the Exmouth Journal
Store your bike or scooter safely in our covered storage areas - we have invested in several around the school site. Make sure you clearly personalise/name anything you leave at school as other people may have the same sets of wheels and they can get in a muddle - that way we can reunite them with their rightful owners!
If your child uses a bike or scooter to get to school, please remind them to be considerate of others. This includes neighbours who live along school lane and who need access to their properties.
Children, including siblings, may not ride their bike or scooter on school premises including the main playground.
Bike Ability!
Each year our Year 5 children have the opportunity to develop their cycling skills with Bikeability training. Many of us will remember doing our Cycling Proficiency Test, and Bikeability - a Devon County Council scheme - is designed to give the next generation the skills and confidence to ride their bikes on today's roads.
Sessions begin in the main playground, and progress onto safe local road practice once the children are confident with balance, manoeuvres and hand signals.