River Beach Primary School

Transcription

1 River Beach Primary School School Travel Plan Spring 2014 Date completed: July 2014 Completed By: Sue Bingham Position: Travel Plan Coordinator

2 Introduction and objectives River Beach Ethos Successful education is rooted in a special relationship between pupils, parents, teachers and all the other adults that come in to support children at school. We will work together to provide a happy, safe and secure environment where they are encouraged and stimulated to think. learn and be well prepared for the future. Our firm belief is that the child should be at the heart of everything we do in order to maximise their opportunities both now and in the future. Therefore our vision is Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day The objectives of the School Travel Plan are in accordance with West Sussex County Council goals, which follow guidance within the local transport plan for: Supporting Economic Competitiveness Tackling Climate Change Promoting Accessibility Delivering Health, Safety and Security Improving Quality of Life This Travel Plan sets out a framework for achieving a safer and sustainable travel culture for River Beach. The school is aiming to improve: Levels of sustainable transport to school Road Safety, in particular with smaller children and cycling/scooting Knowledge of health and environmental benefits of sustainable transport Sharing with our local network of schools and community links to work jointly on Travel Plan themes Routes to school The School achieved Level 1 in The School Travel Plan supports the Every Child Matters Agenda.

3 General Information School Type and Size River Beach is part of the Schoolsworks Multi-Academy Trust; a three 3 form entry primary school currently serving 736 pupils. At present we have larger numbers from Year 4 to Year 6 (as the school was originally 4 form entry) but by September 2017 this will have reduced to 630 pupils, plus 56 nursery school children. The ages of all our intake ranges from two to eleven. There is a staff of just under 100 working at the school. The regular school day starts at 08:35 and finishes at 15:05. There is a breakfast club and after school club provided from 07:45 until the school day starts and after the school day to 18:00, called Grovers. School Location Littlehampton is a seaside resort on the coastal strip of West Sussex. Littlehampton Parish has a population of around River Beach Primary School is located close to the town centre with its local amenities. The pupil catchment area comprises of the heart of the town, south to the coast and east towards Rustington. The River Arun makes a natural boundary to the south of the area, and the main north/south Arundel Road continues the west boundary. The map shows all the features of our locality which we have to consider carefully when encouraging more sustainable transport.

4 In 2013, children from River Beach worked with the Locality schools group to create a Littlehampton Walking map which was produced to give to leavers in Year 6 at all local primary schools. The map provides lots of support for independent travel around Littlehampton and in particular, to the Littlehampton Academy, which is the major secondary school. The map has been produced in quantity and will be given out over the next few years in July. It is envisaged that there will be another working party in which will update the map. outes_to_school/school_travel_planning/whats_happening_at_west.aspx#littlehamptonwalkingmap The school is very fortunate to be near major bus stops and a train station, as well as the River Arun. Littlehampton has a mainline railway station which is situated approximately 600 metres from River Beach and which is about a 7 minute walk. Local bus routes have bus stops on Arundel Road, East Street and Anchor Springs. Further information including a location map and bus timetables can be found on the website:

5 Littlehampton also has a public swimming pool which is used to give children an opportunity to improve their swimming during their time at River Beach. A better level of fitness is part of the Travel Plan objective, improving quality of life. Facilities at school Facilities at the school include cycle parking facilities with space for about 40 children s bikes, with spaces for adult bikes and 112 spaces for scooters. The scooter racks have been generously made and donated to the school by Mr Stanford and Littlehampton Wielding. There are two car parks which provide 61 spaces for staff including 4 disabled bays and reserved spaces for visitors. A shower is available for staff use which may encourage more to cycle, knowing there are facilities to freshen up on arrival. River Beach is able to promote Grovers, the breakfast and after school club located on our site, which not only supports parents who need to leave their children earlier in the morning, but also helps spread out the traffic load at peak times. There are many clubs offered, for the most part as add-ons to the end of the school day, which helps stagger the number of families coming and going too. See the school website for details of all that is on offer ( Lots of our clubs focus on sport to encourage good fitness levels. In addition, there is a community area, by the main reception, where school goals can be publicised as well as facilities such as computers and refreshments for public use, making it a place where local people can share and learn together. There are 3 entrances to the school site. The main entrance is on York Road, with additional entrances on Connaught Road, and via the Green Lady Lane (public right of way) from East Street. The addition of a new reception area which can be accessed from the rear of the school may change the route some families use. This will be monitored from September There is no vehicular access on site for parents/carers. The staff car parks are accessible from York Road (main entrance with visitor and disabled parking) and Connaught Road (dedicated staff only parking). For those parents that need to drive to the school there are car parks available on Anchor Springs (free parking providing a disc is obtained from local stores), Waitrose store which provides the nearest Park and Stride location and East Street (in front of the Police Station) also a good Park and Stride link via the Green Lady. Parking is made available in these car parks free around beginning and end of the school day. (Waitrose offers longer free parking to customers). This information is distributed to parents at the beginning of the school year in the first newsletter and is provided in the prospectus and on the website.

6 Outdoor Facilities on the School Site There are playgrounds and a field to provide a good range of places to exercise and play. The younger children have a purpose built learn/play outside area which is used throughout the day with some static furniture/equipment as well as plenty of other items to bring in and out as appropriate which includes bikes and scooters. There is road safety equipment such as traffic lights and mini crossings to reinforce skills they need to be safe outside. There is an outdoor gym which encourages children to improve their balance and awareness, helping develop their skills for using bikes and scooters. Healthy Schools Mark River Beach has been awarded the Healthy Schools mark, part of which focuses on healthy lifestyles. Our Travel Plan also promotes sustainable transport as a means towards keeping fit. The annual Walk to School week in May and International Walk to School week provide reminders in the Summer and Autumn terms each year. In addition the Living Streets WoW scheme, which is new to River Beach, will encourage walking and sustainable means of transport all year round. Eco Schools Awards The River Beach Green Team are beginning to put together evidence for the...bronze award. The school is confident that it will achieve level 1 in Autumn The Travel Plan supports the values of Eco Schools. Sustainable transport modes for School Trips and Activities Where possible, the school uses sustainable transport for school trips. As there is a mainline station close by, some trips take place using trains. On other occasions, as possible, children walk to local sites. If cars are needed, children will be grouped to use as few as possible.

7 Assisted Transport to School The Special Support Unit at River Beach, for hearing impaired children, is a facility available to a wider catchment area, enabling specialised professional support. Some children receive a travel allowance from the County Council to enable them to get to River Beach as it is a considerable distance from their homes. Other considerations which mean there are no alternatives are related to the age of the children and other disabilities. These children arrive by taxi on a daily basis. When there are school initiatives to walk to school, the unit provides extra facilities to enable these children to take extra exercise to enable them to feel part of a push towards being healthier and recognising that there will be times in their lives when they can make a choice about sustainable transport. Travel Plan Committee Mrs J Grevett (Headteacher), Mr D Ayers (Deputy Headteacher), Mr N Aldridge (local resident and relative of some pupils), Mrs S Bingham (Teacher, Pupil Voice, Staff Care and Travel Plan Coordinator), Cllr I Buckland (Littlehampton Town Council and West Sussex County Council), Mrs S Carroll (Teacher and Eco Committee leader), Mr M Cullern (Neighbourhood Watch), Ms S Furlong,(West Sussex Principal Community Officer), Ms Emmalene Fulton (local Halfords store manager), Mrs S Hopkins (The Littlehampton Academy and Locality Link), Ms P Mather (West Sussex Travel Advisor), Mrs N Mayhead (School Governor and on staff), Mr G Jackson (Premises Manager), PCSO Kelly Mankelow and PCSO Andy Orpin. River Beach is always keen to welcome new members from the community who can provide their perspective and ideas to help with the aims of the Travel Plan. Children are instrumental to the development of the Travel Plan. For example, they carry out spot checks around the site each term to monitor how we are travelling to and fro and report back to our School Council. All Travel Plan news is shared at School Council meetings which are held each half term. School Council minutes are sent to each class and the School Governing Body. Travel Plan news is shared in the weekly newsletter sent home to parents and carers as appropriate. From time to time the school Website of the Week focuses on a travel issue, such as road safety.

8 Current Travel to School Survey Results West Sussex County Council send all schools a Modes of Travel Survey every year to help monitor how children are travelling to school. This was a snap shot of one day. Number of Pupils on Roll 780 Information on chart is based on the pupil s survey which Number of Pupils surveyed 769 was 99 % of the pupils on Roll Walking Cycling/ scooter Car Car Share Bus Other Numbers Percentages Staff Survey Results 2014 Walking Cycling/ scooter Car Car Share Bus Other Numbers Percentages River Beach Spring Questionnaire Families In addition to the Hands Up survey, a detailed questionnaire was sent to families in the Spring term Children were invited to complete the first section and parents to add their views and confirm children s comments. A prize draw with a range of travel related prizes was held in the Summer term as a way to encourage the surveys to be returned. See Appendix 1 for detailed analysis. Summary of results. From the questionnaire it appears that most children would prefer to walk to school. However, there are safety issues, which concern parents and which could restrict the number of children who are allowed to walk. Many comments were made about the lack of, or intermittent service provided by Crossing Patrols on Arundel Road and East Street. The results indicate a potential for an increase in the number of children who could cycle to school but there are concerns about this, due to the lack of a safe cycle routes and the fact that children do not carry out Bikeability courses until the Summer Term of Year 6. It was also suggested that more cycle training as well as covered cycle storage would encourage more cycling. Problems identified from Questionnaires The most frequently reported concerns were as follows: Speed and volume of traffic in the roads near to the school Inadequate crossings along key routes to school Danger from parked cars obscuring vision and access Lack of cycle training and covered cycle storage facilities There remains severe traffic congestion within the immediate vicinity of the school at the start and end of the school day, which increases the potential risk of an accident. Inconsiderate parking on double yellow lines and corners are the main problems which would be alleviated by the traffic calming measures that are still awaited.

9 Staff Travel There are 61 full time and 24 part time staff, most of the staff live over 5km from the school so have to drive to school as public transport does not fit with the school times. Secure cycle parking is available and there are shower facilities which can be used on arrival for male staff. There are parking spaces for most staff in one of two locations. From the questionnaire sent to staff, 42 replied of which the majority were car drivers. The reasons for using a car were mainly too far away or needed more flexibility that other means of getting to and from school. But no one nearby to car share with came up on a number of occasions. Those with children needed their own car for leaving and collecting families from child minders. A few felt public transport was not reliable enough. There are more cyclists than the results suggest, but they did not complete the survey, which is a pity. Of those who do not cycle, better cycle paths was cited as a reason. There were a few other comments such as better covered cycle storage and a cycle to work scheme. Futures Plans at the school New reception area. In September 2014 the new Playground Reception will open at the beginning and end of the school day. This may lead to a traffic shift if parents choose to use this facility. It will be monitored. Main reception Playground Reception

10 Travelling to School - Identified areas of concern From latest surveys these are the measures the school is addressing. Location Identified Concern Identified By Action In front of main school entrance, York Road Parking during peak times School/ WSCC Zig-zags and other measures to be put in place Summer PCSO support. Queen Street junction Parking School/WSCC Traffic calming measures still to be put in place as agreed on amalgamation Summer 2014 discussions about oneway system with WS Travel Plan team. Arundel Road Busy road Parents/School/ School Crossing patrol vacancy to fill WSCC East Street Busy road Parents/School/ School Crossing patrol vacancy to fill WSCC Green Lady/East Street junction Access to main road on a slope Parents Markings on the Green Lady to raise awareness of busy road ahead Parking Staff cars on local roads Staff/local residents Staff given key to access parking on South car park. School site Cycle storage Parents Covered cycle storage requested which is being investigated. School site Cycle training for other than Year 6 and for parents to support children Parents Running a cycling club in Spring term and West Sussex Travel Advisor discussing with Locality schools about running holiday sessions with parents. Connaught Road entrance Parking on Zig-zags and double yellow lines School Initiatives and Promotions of Sustainable Transport River Beach continues to promote existing initiatives and add new as appropriate: 1. Park and Stride Car parks TRO requested for the corner to Queen Street. PCSOs to support. Waitrose car park, Anchor Springs and East Street have areas where parents can park and Stride. 2. Bikeability. Each year, Year 6 pupils are given the opportunity to improve their cycling skills which is to ensure they are safe and confident and can then use a sustainable mode of transport independently. 3. Walk to School Living Streets scheme promoting walking/sustainable transport each month. 4. Walking Bus There is a Walking bus from the Wickbourne Centre each day. 5. Walk to School weeks Joining in with nationwide initiatives in May and October. 6. Walking map. Given to year 6 pupils in Summer term before they move to a new school. 7. Cycle/scooter parking.

11 Plenty of places to park on site but not under cover. 8. Road Safety awareness Beep-Beep day to be run annually (March) using Brake materials. This promotes road safety with 2 7 year olds. 9. Cycle club. To promote maintenance and cycling with Sustrans Superheroes materials in Spring Term each year as a club. Halfords ran a good Gear Up session on maintenance which would be good to repeat with new groups of children on a regular basis. 10. News for parents and carers Annual newsletter to remind parents and make new ones aware of facilities. Regular reminders and promotions in weekly school newsletter as appropriate. Working with Others River Beach works closely with the West Sussex County Council. Both a Travel Advisor and Principal Community Officer attend meetings on a regular basis. There are 2 PCSOs in our area who also do their best to attend meetings. The local Halfords store manager is on the committee. There is a West Sussex County Councillor on the team who is also a Town Councillor. The School looks to promote sustainable transport and can promote initiatives through good links with local schools to work together and with the local press to share with the local community. The local group of schools works with a shared administrator who runs events for all to take part in, such as the Walking Map project. There will be an Eco summit which will include Travel Plan strands in A new link with Living Streets will enhance actions and improve the school Travel Plan. River Beach has good links with local residents who are invited to share concerns. School Trips and Extended School Activities School trips are evaluated using a range of criteria such as safety, cost, time available as well as the focus of the trip. If possible, train travel can be used should the venue be near a station. Most trips need local coaches as means of transport. School sports matches for away games are managed best using car sharing. Trips to town venues or the beach are carried out by foot. Hi-viz tabards and jackets are worn as appropriate.

12 Curriculum Links Year Groups include Travel Plan/Eco issues as part of PSHCE besides picking up strands in subject areas such as: Maths Journey Distance Geography map reading English reading instructions and signs In the Nursery and Early Years departments, outside play encourages basic road skills. Year 5 deliver a 2 week Eco topic in the Summer term which incorporates relevant content. Assemblies will termly address issues, sometimes with speakers from appropriate bodies to keep awareness at a good level.

13 Action and Review Plan Using the concerns highlighted in the survey and through the schools knowledge of the school environment and the community around the school this is the current action plan. Identified Concern and Date Action Responsibility Reviewed Traffic on Queen Street WSCC A constant intermittent issue. Parking on zig-zags at Connaught entrance A constant intermittent issue. Parking on approach road to main entrance in York Road. A constant intermittent issue. Green Lady approach to East Street. Autumn Children running/riding down slope into narrow pavement and then a busy main road. Crossing busy main roads in particular Arundel Road and East Street. Summer 2014 Cycle training from questionnaire, more requested. Summer 2014 Covered cycle storage. Summer 2014 Families accessing nursery by walking across car park and not using paths. Spring 2014 Better signage around site perimeter/adjacent main roads Traffic calming measures. On a waiting list (due to take place when schools amalgamated in 2011) Work with local PSCO and pupils to highlight dangers of parking on zig zags. TRO applied for July 2014 WSCC to put in zig-zags and road markings to draw attention to dangers. Summer 2014 WSCC to paint warning on the road to raise awareness of danger ahead. New crossing patrol staff being recruited. To start a cycling club Spring 2015 Investigating a range of options and financing Better signage and fencing. Living Streets to help carry out a site survey which will highlight any features/measures we can acquire. See Appendix 2 for a selection of images showing recent action. PCSO Travel Plan Committee School Council WSCC PCSO Travel Plan Committee School Council WSCC WSCC Sue Bingham Sue Bingham and Committee Sue Bingham and Committee Sue Bingham and Eleanor Togut with pupils September 2014 with updates this yr September 2014 September 2014 with updates this yr November 2014 Ongoing in newsletters Sept and Oct 2014 September 2014 October 2014 with Green Team November 2014 November 2014

14 Targets The current figure for pupils travelling by sustainable modes to school in West Sussex is in the region of 75%. Sustainable modes of transport include walking, cycling, using public transport, car sharing and Park and Stride. West Sussex School Travel Plans seek to achieve, maintain and where possible, exceed this countywide figure. As a result of the action plan it is hoped that the following targets can be reached. Date set Target % change From To By when Measure Review Sept 2014 Increase walking to school 10% 57% 67% July 2015 Monthly Living Streets data collection Termly Sept 2014 Increase covered cycle storage Sept 2014 Increase staff sustainable transport Sept 2014 Reduce illegal parking at main entrance 25% 0 covered spaces 30 covered spaces July % 5% 15% July % 20 cars daily nil July 2015 Completion of shelter Promoting Healthy lifestyle Traffic calming measures installed Termly Termly Termly Monitoring The Travel Plan is reviewed annually by the Travel Plan Coordinator, who is Mrs S Bingham. The Committee meets each half term to monitor how objectives are progressing and to discuss any new issues. The children s team carry out spot checks every half term around the school site and act on any issues this brings to light in conjunction with the School Council, which also meets each half term. The Governing Body receives minutes from the School Council meetings which keeps them informed of the current Travel Plan agenda. River Beach School is part of Junior Youth Council which meets termly with representatives from all local schools and addresses any shared Travel Plan issues. Annual reviews supported by termly updates which are fed back to WSCC via the Safer Routes to School Team at srts.team@westsussex.gov.uk Authorised on behalf of the school Headteacher Chair of Governors Travel Plan Lead Mrs J Grevett Mrs J Harris Mrs S Bingham

15 Appendices Appendix 1 Spring Term Travel Survey Question by Question 1. How far is the journey to school? 2. How do you usually travel to and from school? 3. How would you prefer to travel to and from school? 4. If you do not normally walk to/from school please indicate why 5. How safe do you consider the route to be? 6. Would you consider joining a 'Walking Bus where trained parent volunteers walk children into school from a given drop off point? 7. If you do not normally cycle to school please indicate why. (tick all relevant boxes) 8. How safe do you consider the cycle route to be? 9. Please indicate which of the following improvements could be made at your school 10. If you do not normally travel to school by bus please indicate why. 11. How safe do you consider the route to the bus stop to be? 12. If travel to school by car, how many children going to school are usually in the car? 13. Is the journey to school usually If your parents knew where the suitable parking was, would you be mind using 'park and stride'? 15. Would you be able to share a car with another family to get to school? 16. Please give details of unsafe parts of your route to school. Please include any road names and any other useful information about the location. 17. Do you have any additional comments you would like to make about your child s journey to and from school? Summary of Travel Survey Data - Spring 2014 Some questions invited narrative that are summarised later in this appendix. Question number M F 3 Gender Totals <1km 2-3km 3-5km >5km 4 Journey Usual travel walk cycle car share train school tr P&S Car Bus/Co ach walk cycle car share train school tr P&S Car Bus/Co ach 6 Prefer? Danger ous too young School tr no time I do too far other not walk why? don't like

16 8 all way part unsafe no opinio n how safe to walk? Yes No 9 10 walking bus? I do danger ou no bike too far school tr no time no facilitie s too young other why not cycle all way part unsafe no opinio n How safe to ride? storage covere d locatio n lighting helmet st trainin g 12 What improv ements? I do easier to w which bus near sch behavi our no bus too long school tr too far No adult supervi sion too young 13 Bus why not part way no opinio n safe unsafe How safe only 1 me + bro Me + frie me + 2 fr me no in car? just scho car share on way 16 journey is Do that Yes No 17 Try P&S

17 Yes No 18 Share?? Yes No 1 Parent agree NB About a third of our families filled in the survey which has been used to make the following summaries. Journey to School The majority of families live within 3km of school. Most walk and there is a pleasing proportion of Park and Stride families. There are some who use the car which will be targeted to change to Park and Stride. Families were asked which mode of transport they would like to use with a surprising proportion suggesting cycling. Our next steps must be to try to make this possible.

18 Walking to School The main reason for not walking to school appears to be lack of time. This may change as children get older and more able to get themselves ready at home. However, the school links with clubs who can take children earlier in the day which would help create more time. Parental choice is the key. Safety was considered in the survey and, whilst there are some safety issues, many of these link to issues linked to school crossing patrols on 2 busy roads which is being addressed. Interest in a Walking Bus, 38% in favour, needs further investigation. Cycling to School There are very few children who cycle to school regularly. This figure picks up after Year 6 have carried out Bikeability in the Summer term. However, the survey shows that lack of time and children too young to manage on the road feature as major reasons for not using a bike. Of those completing the survey, danger and not owning a bike were other considerations that prevented cycling. When questioned about the safety of cycling routes, only a small proportion felt their journey was unsafe all the way. The Action Plan shows how more training with both children and adults, and covered cycle racks are being considered to improve cycling to school. Storage is already better for helmets as there are lockers for the majority of children.

19 Using a Car Most families bring 2 children to school by car and a significant proportion travel with just one child. Very few car share and for most families the school run is the first part of a longer journey being taken that day. There is a high proportion just using the car to get to and from school. Whilst most completed the survey as users of Park and Stride, there is still a small proportion who are now keen to take this on, with 18% not prepared to use this facility. Promoting Park and Stride is a means to encourage families to embrace better habits. Families are generally not keen to car share although 27% responded favourably which will be investigated further. Bus to school It was seen that most families find it much easier to walk to school, as they live nearby. Those who regularly use taxis are attending our Special Support Unit and come from further away and/or have other disabilities that make walking difficult. Other Comments Parents took the time to add lots of comments to the survey responses which informed some of their responses. The following are points that came up time and time again: - Irresponsible parking and driving around the site entrances resulting in making it dangerous for other road and pavement users. In particular the Queen Street/York Road junction. When the County Council traffic calming measures are in place this will alleviate the problem. Arundel Road and East Street both very busy and dangerous especially without a School Crossing Patrol person on duty. Green Lady narrow pavement and slope towards East Street. Road markings to be painted as a warning. New Fitzalan extension to TLA mentioned as fast traffic even with pelican crossing on it. Worthing Road mentioned as dangerous. (There are a couple of pelican crossings but this is a very long road). Cornwall Road is tricky to cross with lots of parked cars along it at peak times. More cycle training

20 Appendix 2 A collection of images relating to action over