Working together on school travel
A Berkshire School Travel Excellence Programme (STEP) will take place at a conference in Maidenhead on Wednesday (October 17) as part of International Walk ...

TEACHERS, governors, pupils and parents from Berkshire will gather on October 17 to discuss ways of promoting walking and cycling to school.
A Berkshire School Travel Excellence Programme (STEP) will take place at a conference in Maidenhead on Wednesday (October 17) as part of International Walk to School Month.

STEP aims to promote walking and cycling to school by recognising and rewarding participating schools for their School Travel Plans.
They also hope to encourage, advise and support other schools to develop their's.

More than 60 out of the 82 schools in West Berkshire already have travel plans in place.

Coral Taylor, School Travel Plan Advisor at West Berkshire Council said: "School Travel Plans are a winning formula for all. They promote health because the exercise gained in walking to school is proven to be beneficial. They also improve safety outside schools by reducing the number of vehicles manoeuvring at the school gate and help reduce our environmental impact by cutting the number of cars on the road – particularly at peak times."

All six Berkshire unitary councils are working together on the programme.
The conference will focus on school travel plans and how they link with ‘healthy school’ programmes, and walking to school including 'walking buses'.

They will also launch a new award scheme, which recognises those schools effectively tackling travel issues and promoting safe and sustainable travel.
The winner of a competition for schoolchildren to design a STEP logo will be announced on the day – and the successful entrant will be presented with a mountain bike donated by Caversham-based A W Cycles.