Those of you with kids will have heard all about making sure they get plenty of exercise, and what better way to do it than to walk to school in the morning? And if you walk with them it means you get some exercise while making sure they’re safe and sound!
Walking Buses
Of course it’s not always possible to walk with your child, and if you’re nervous about letting them go on their own it might be worth asking if your school operates a “walking bus” service. Quite simply a group of children walk to school, supervised by parents or volunteers, in an organised way. There is a “Driver” who leads the children and a “Conductor” who stays at the back to keep an eye on everyone, and they make stops to collect children on the way into school. The City Council encourages this scheme and has produced guidelines as to how they can work, click here for these details.
Footprints Scheme
Footprints is another successful City Council scheme that takes place over 10 weeks starting in October every year. Pupils who take part are given a “walking passport” and get a sticker in their passport for every week that they walk into school. At the end of the 10 weeks every child who has filled their passport gets a badge to wear with pride! Both the stickers and the badge are fun, shiny and perfect for kids. And then the school with the most children involved in Footprints gets the coveted Big Foot Award to show off their walking credentials to the world Past winners include:
Robin Hood Primary School, 2007
Heathfield Primary School, 2006
To find out how to get your school involved in Footprints, so your kids are in with a chance of winning The Big Foot Award contact Diane Topple at diane.topple@nottinghamcity.gov.uk or on 0115 915 0966.
