Walk to School Week May 2008
Walk to School Week is over for another year and it's been a runaway success. We've had record publicity in the media and we can't wait to hear your individual stories about what you've been up to. Write in and let us know: walktoschool@livingstreets.org.ukBackseat Children report
To mark Walk to School Week, Living Streets released a shocking new report called ‘Backseat Children’. It highlights how children who have not practised walking to primary school are denied the chance to learn how to deal with traffic, making them vulnerable on our roads. We are calling on parents to read our recommendations and help their children to walk to school safely.
Regional Events
Middle Row Primary School in north Kensington led the launch of national Walk to School Week in a musical parade with a twist. They made instruments from recycled car parts in workshops the previous week and learnt how to play them. On the day (19 May) they led the procession to a nearby park where they were joined by pupils from St Cuthbert with St Matthias CE, St Joseph’s RC, St Mary’s RC and St Thomas’s CE.
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With an appreciative audience made up of councillors, parents, teachers and staff from Living Streets, they banged hub caps and bumpers, shook petrol cans filled with rice and played on funnels. A good time was had by all!
Walk to School Week went with a bang in County Durham. Over 140 schools took part including Frosterley Community Primary, Hamsterley Primary, Forest-of-Teesdale Primary, Woodhouse Community Primary, Byers Green Primary, Trimdon Junior, St Patrick’s RCVA Primary Langley Moor, Plawsworth Road Infant School and Aycliffe Village Primary School.
Walking buses were launched, five schools made musical instruments from old car parts and other schools baked feet-shaped cookies and undertook noise pollution testing. Some rural schools even linked up with children in London to compare what noises they heard on the journey to school.
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Throughout Walk to School Week, pupils at Canonbury Primary School in London competed for a prize to go to the class with the most walkers. The winners were in year five and their teacher gets vouchers to spend on the class from Islington Road Safety Department.
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The highlight of the week was the Big Walk where a group gathered at the Clock Tower and picked up walkers on the way to school. Pupils had lots of fun while learning about the importance of walking and the dangers to look out for. A particular problem area is St Paul's Road crossing so they carried placards and posters asking drivers to "stop at red". Pupils in Year 6 wrote letters to the press and local council highlighting their concerns.
