£60m government investment to transform the school run for 2m children

This amazing news will enable Team Modeshift to continue supporting schools and local authorities in their efforts to grow the number of active journeys in England.

• An additional two million children will now benefit from programmes to make it easier and safer to walk and cycle to school
• The initiatives will enable more young people to make active choices when travelling in their communities

Up to two million more children will have access to walk to school programmes and cycle training programmes over the next two years thanks to a multimillion-pound investment announced by Active Travel England today (Friday 29 September).

The £60m package will help parents have more confidence to walk or cycle with their kids on the school run by funding initiatives that give more children better road skills and aim to help make it easier for parents to choose greener travel options.

The two-year funding will include £50m to expand Bikeability cycle training to a million more young people. This scheme has already delivered training to more than four million children since 2007.

A further £5m will support walk to school programmes aimed at hundreds of thousands of pupils in schools across England via the charity Living Streets.

Chris Boardman, Active Travel Commissioner, said:

“Giving kids transport independence and enabling them to walk, wheel or cycle on the school run is what they want, and what we want for them.

“This £60m funding package will help put the joy back into journeys and create a generation of young people who feel confident to make healthier and greener travel choices.”

Decarbonisation Minister, Jesse Norman said:

“The Government wants children up and down the country to benefit from the freedom as well as the huge mental and physical health benefits of cycling. That is why it is investing £60m in this package of measures to support active travel for young people.”

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

“The journey to and from school is an essential part of the school day for every child, and it’s encouraging that Active Travel England is investing in active travel initiatives for children and young people, that can improve their health and wellbeing.

“Many schools are already encouraging these initiatives locally and this is being supported with our School Sport and Activity Action Plan which was published earlier this year.

“The plan supports initiatives to increase active and safe travel to school such as Walk to School Outreach, School Streets and Bikeability – and these include inclusive delivery for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.”

Also included in the package is £4m to extend Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival programme to March 2025. The scheme has already engaged over 80,000 people of all ages, helping them learn cycling basics and feel more confident while pedalling.

Meanwhile, an additional £500k will fund an extension to the Modeshift STARS and Active Travel Ambassador schemes. The STARS program provides recognition for schools, businesses and organisations who show excellence in supporting and delivering active travel plans in their community. Active Travel Ambassadors work with secondary school students to encourage their peers to travel actively.

Stephen Edwards, Chief Executive, Living Streets said:

“This funding will support even more families to choose active ways to travel to school, boosting the nation’s health, reducing congestion and improving air quality.

“Our programmes have been incredibly successful, playing a huge role in helping more children walk to school. We look forward to more pupils and schools joining us and reaping the benefits that come from swapping the school run for a school walk.”

Emily Cherry, Chief Executive of the Bikeability Trust, said:

“What great news to wrap up Cycle to School Week! We and Active Travel England share an ambition that every child has the confidence to cycle, and can enjoy this skill for life. This funding will help us and our brilliant Bikeability instructors, training providers and grant recipients to work towards that ambition this and next year. Together, we can make sure that no child leaves school without the knowledge, confidence and opportunity to cycle.”

Nick Butler, Business Director, Modeshift, said:

“This funding will help us to expand the STARS Education programme which last year, saw schools deliver over 11,000 activities, for more than 1.8 million participants. It will also fund the continuation of our innovative Active Travel Ambassadors (ATA) programme which to date, has recruited more than 500 ATAs, and reached more than 61,000 secondary school pupils. With the support of Active Travel England, Living Streets, and The Bikeability Trust, we will continue to strive to share the very best schemes, ideas, and knowledge, to increase levels of walking, wheeling, and cycling for the journey to school.”

For the full article visit: £60 million government investment to transform the school run for 2 million children – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)