Walking
International Walk to School Month
For all schools
Held in October of every year, International Walk to School Month is a month long international celebration of walking to school. This is an ideal time to kick-start and organise any walking activities, such as sponsored walks and walking competitions to promote the importance of walking as a fun and healthy way of travelling to school.
Walk Once a Week
For primary schools
Walk Once a Week or WoW is a year-round weekly incentive based walking scheme. WoW encourages parents and pupils to walk to school at least once a week throughout the school year.
Schools who participate in WoW show an average of 59% of their school population walking to/from school, (against a national average of 48%) resulting in less traffic congestion at the school gate and healthier, happier pupils.
Setting up and running WoW in school is easy. With the School Travel Champion (or other adult) overseeing the general management, it is an ideal responsibility for School Council or Junior Safety Officers (JSO) to co-ordinate and implement across classes.
It’s simple to run WoW in your school, all you need to do is to follow these simple steps:
- Register your school for WoW scheme with STP officer.
- School receives wall chart quarterly.
- Teacher/JSO fills out wall chart and requests badges every month.
Find out more Information and how to register for Walk Once a Week (Walk to School website)
Other WoW activities that are available to participating schools include:
Big WoW
For all schools
An annual celebration of the Walk Once a Week (WoW) scheme that is held during International Walk to School month. Each year schools participating in WoW are invited to celebrate their year-round, weekly walking achievements at the Big WoW event.
The Big WoW events are different each year, offering a unique outdoor learning experience inspired by the diverse experiences gained while walking to school.
In 2009 the Big WoW theme was ‘exploring British nature’ and in 2010 it was a London wide relay event inspired by the ‘London 2012 Olympics’.
Why not use this event to kick start WoW in your school?
Find out more information about Big WoW (Walk to School website)
WoW badge design competition
For WoW participating schools
This is a great way for pupils to get involved and design one of the 11 WoW badges. In the Spring of each year pupils of WoW participating schools are invited to take part in the national competition. The top three designs from every school are submitted and the top 11 designs will be turned into the following year’s badges.
All top three entries receive a certificate and limited edition WoW badge. The winning 11 pupils will also be invited to a special awards event.
Find out more information about the WoW badge design competition (Walk to School website)
WoW assembly and lesson packs
For all WoW participating schools
These contain step-by-step assembly and lesson plans designed to reinforce the principles of WoW and highlight its benefits, both to our health and the environment.
The packs are available for all schools and are suitable for School Council or Junior Safety Officers to deliver to peers.
WoW badge design, and assembly and lesson packs activities are available to WoW participating schools. To find out more about how to register for WoW activities visit www.walktoschool.org.uk
Walking bus
For all schools
For information on how to set up a Walking Bus scheme, please read the document: How to start a walking bus
(pdf, 73KB)
Street Feet
For KS1 and nursery
This fun role play set teaches the importance of finding and using safe places to cross the road such as pelican and zebra crossings, and working out safe routes to and from school.
Find out more information about Street Feet.
Richmond Safer Walking
For Y3
This practical road side training course encourages children to think about traffic hazards, learn how to deal with them and to plan routes that make use of crossing facilities where they are available.
Find out more information about Richmond Safer Walking.