Ninestiles School, recognised as the Modeshift STARS National Secondary School of the Year, has demonstrated how student-led action, consistency and a clear vision can drive meaningful change in school travel. Through its long-standing involvement in the Active Travel Ambassadors (ATA) programme, the school has rapidly progressed to achieve an Outstanding School Travel Plan, embedding sustainable travel into its culture and setting a benchmark for secondary schools across the country.
Modeshift STARS National Secondary School of the Year
The Experience
The ATAs continue to deliver activities and ATA coordinator Jenny Royall comments:
‘Ninestiles have been part of the ATA programme from the very beginning and it has been an absolute pleasure to work with Sheran (School Champion) and her team of Ambassadors. Their ‘Lean Towards Green’ slogan shows that supporting walking, wheeling and cycling to school is embedded in the school’s ethos. Making ATA part of the duties of the Student Council has worked brilliantly, enabling them to consistently deliver a range of initiatives with their regular walk to school weeks even getting a mention in their Ofsted report! It’s been a delight to see the Ambassadors shine at ATA events such as the 2026 Birmingham Campaign Junction where they presented to an audience of more than 120 people, including the West Midlands Active Travel and Road Safety Commissioners, Beccy Marston and Mat MacDonald.’
The Results
During the judging process, industry experts from national organisations such as The Bikeability Trust and Living Streets cast their votes over the nominated schools.
On being crowneds National Modeshift STARS Secondary School of the Year, teacher and school champion Sheran Kaur said: ‘We are incredibly proud to receive this award, and it truly means a great deal to all of us.’
Conclusion and endorsement
Ninestiles demonstrates the significant contribution the ATA programme can make to Modeshift STARS and the achievement of high accreditation levels. It also shows that it can open many doors to far reaching opportunities. Most recently they have been invited to take part in a University of Birmingham study project into making public parks safer, especially for girls.
Now as they move onto becoming an ATA Legacy School we are looking forward to seeing an embedded programme of ATA and STARS activities continue to develop and thrive.
