Tips from other Walk to School campaigners

If you would like to encourage your child's school to increase walking levels, here are some ideas of how to campaign for change:

Work with your local authority – the School Travel Adviser or Road Safety Officer – and you will get more done.

Use the promotion around Walk to School Week or Month to get media attention for your problem, or use it as a way to publicise a positive change being introduced by the school.

Change takes time – you will make lots of incremental steps that will add up, so don’t be disappointed if you don’t get everything you want immediately!

Remember that in primary schools, lots of people do need to drive to school (maybe a pregnant mum or a dad with a sick kid who they can’t leave at home for the walk to school) so be nice to people.

Organising events can be fun and they don’t need to take up a huge amount of your time.

Point out the problems you are aware of but be ready to suggest solutions too.

Park and stride schemes might work in some schools – you can encourage parents to leave their cars some distance from the school and walk the rest of the way.

Get the kids involved – they can help to change the opinion of the adults and even the school.

Get the issue on the agenda of your school’s PTA.

Make links with the person in the school who is responsible for the Healthy Schools Initiative – by working together you can do each other a favour.

You could ask the school to introduce some ‘car free’ times around the school gates, e.g. 8.45am to 9.15am, on the basis that it is safer for pedestrians.

Clarify the aims of your campaign and what you are trying to achieve.

Target the audience you want to reach.

Have good information to support your campaign.

Make sure you are doing things at the right time.

Work in partnership with others who share your campaign aims.

Always take time to ensure that people remain involved with the campaign.

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Tips from other Walk to School campaigners

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