After months of enthusiasm, campaigning and commitment to active and sustainable travel, the school has proudly launched Derbyshire’s very first School Street.
This ‘car-free zone’ means Vicarage Lane, the road right outside the school gates, is now closed to most vehicles during school drop-off and pick-up times. From Monday to Friday, only emergency vehicles, residents and school staff with permits, and postal workers can access the road during these peak times, thanks to an experimental traffic regulation order running until October 2026.
This success didn’t happen overnight
William Gilbert School has achieved an ‘Excellent’ Modeshift STARS accreditation and Best Modeshift TravelWise Week Schools Campaign 2024.
William Gilbert has been leading the way in active travel with initiatives like Walking Wednesdays and Fume-Free Fridays, encouraging families to leave the car at home and choose more active and sustainable ways to make their everyday journeys.
Their energy and efforts earned them this pioneering role in Derbyshire’s School Street pilot.
The pilot follows the school’s enthusiastic participation in Travel Wise Week – Modeshift’s celebration of European Mobility Week and World Car Free Day. Pupils got involved with active travel activities including a travel trail and the ever-popular Lucky Lock prize draw, making every journey to school a little more fun and a lot more rewarding.
And it’s not just the pupils who are benefiting. Parents are supporting the scheme, enjoying the calmer, safer school environment, and the wider community is seeing the impact too. With volunteers and clear signage helping to enforce the new restrictions, the area outside the school is now a cleaner, safer, and more welcoming space for everyone.
Helen Britten, Headteacher at William Gilbert Endowed Primary School said:
‘We’re absolutely thrilled to be Derbyshire’s first School Street. Our pupils are excited, the parents have been incredibly supportive, and it’s making a real difference to the atmosphere outside school. We’ve worked hard as a community to promote sustainable travel – and it’s fantastic to see it all come together.’
Well done to everyone at William Gilbert – you’re inspiring schools across the country.
