Make a noise about walking to school

It’s Walk to School week on 19-23 May 2008
For one week this May our streets will become a much more pleasant place to be in rush hour, when over two million primary school children across the UK walk to school for national Walk To School week [19 – 23 May 2008]. Worryingly, however, 50% of primary school children still don't walk to school regularly and 41% of pupils are still driven to school in cars – a trend that is on the increase. Being driven the short distance to school has a negative impact on children’s health and their social interactions.

The Walk To School campaign encourages pupils and parents to reconsider their school journey and enjoy the many benefits of walking. Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets (the charity that runs Walk To School week) said: “With the Government’s latest figures suggesting that one in three Year Six pupils are overweight or obese, the Walk To School campaign is even more important. We’re calling on all pupils to take part.”

The theme of Walk To School week changes each year and this year’s focus is on exploring the local environment through sound. Pupils are being asked to become “sound detectives” and pay special attention to the different types of street noise as they walk to school.

Louise Waters, Walk To School coordinator said: “Walking is the most environmentally friendly and healthy form of transport. It offers independence and flexibility and the more children walk, the more confident and responsible they become – making for a better society all round.”

Walk To School week is a firm feature in the academic calendar and this year it’s an opportunity to make some noise about how important the journey to school is.