Walk To School

What is WoW? WoW is a walking scheme, run by the national charity Living Streets. This campaign has been flying the flag for walking to school since 1995. It now reaches more than 1.9 million children each year. The Walk to School campaign’s aim is simple: to encourage all parents, children and young people to make walking to school part of their daily routine. The vision of this charity is that every child who can walk to school does so

 How does it work? Children record on their individual passport whether they have walked to school that day. At the end of each month, if a child has walked at least once a week, they receive a special collectable pin badge. There is a different badge for each month of the school year. The badges are designed by children in a national competition held each year.

Why Walk to School? Broadford school is taking part in WoW because of the many benefits we believe it will have on the school community. It is one of the easiest ways for children to reach the recommended 60 minutes of exercise each day and walking is also good for children's mental health. Children who walk tend to socialise with friends more and have improved concentration levels. It's free, great for the environment and fun!

Walking together is also the perfect opportunity for children to learn road safety skills and develop an awareness of their local area, preparing them for when they will walk to school independently. It also has a positive impact on the environment and reduces congestion at the school gate.

What if we can't walk to school? Under half of children walk to school and this number is decreasing. There can be lots of factors which make walking difficult, but we've got some solutions:

We live too far: If you live a long way from school and have to drive, you can 'Park and Stride'. This means that you drive some of the way, park your car at least 2 streets away and then walk the final part of your journey to the school gates.

We get public transport: If you and your child travel by public transport, why not get off one or two stops early?

I don't have enough time: Lots of parents are surprised at how quick walking can be, especially when you factor in congestion and waiting for a parking space around school. Why not try it out and see?

I have to get to work: If you don't have time to walk with work commitments, why not buddy up with another parent on route to share the walking? There's loads of tips and advice for this online at www.walktoschool.org.uk