London schools encouraged to support walking and cycling by TfL
Schools in the capital have been called-upon to support walking and cycling schemes in an effort to improve air quality and improve the health of students by TfL. TfL’s accreditation programme has been offered to all schools, the program saw a 10 per cent increase in schools achieving the highest ‘Gold’ status last academic year.
The ‘Travel for Life’ programme aims to ‘support the next generation of Londoners to travel towards a brighter, safer, and more sustainable future’. Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels of accreditation are available to primary and secondary schools which promote walking, cycling, and safe use of public transport.
Gold accreditation is achieved by reducing car use by six per cent or 90 per cent of the school run being made via sustainable transport. Last year 735 schools were awarded Gold, a 10 per cent increase compared to 2023. The program is administered through the London Transport Museum and in partnership with London’s Borough Officers.
Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “The New Year is the perfect time to introduce children to sustainable travel so I would encourage as many schools as possible to join this fantastic scheme which improves the environment and supports fit and healthy lifestyles. We know that children who are introduced to active travel from a young age are more likely to continue the habit into adulthood – and it would be great to see even more schools involved this year.”
Bromley currently leads the way, having the highest proportion of Gold schools, attaining 63 per cent. Islington comes in at second with 49 per cent and Havering at third with 45 per cent. Waltham Forest currently has the most amount of schools participating in the programme, having 81 per cent of schools involved. Bromley and Islington have 74 and 71 per cent of schools involved respectively.
Having only joined the programme in March 2023, St Gregory’s Catholic Science College in Brent has recently been awarded Gold accreditation, making their motto “swap the ride for a park for a park and a stride”. The school has undergone several actions to achieve this, including measuring the air quality in its immediate surroundings, holding assemblies, and creating a podcast on active travel.
Lilli Matson, TfL’s chief health, safety & environment officer, said: “Clean air is fundamental for a London where every young person can thrive. Walking and cycling to school cuts out the harmful emissions from cars, and also gets children active, benefitting them both inside and outside the classroom. It’s so encouraging to see growing numbers of schools achieving Gold accreditation and we need to keep that momentum going, and so if your school makes just one New Year’s Resolution for 2025, we would love for you to sign up to TfL Travel for Life.”
A teacher from St Gregory’s Catholic Science College, said: “As TfL Travel Pioneers, we have not only affected the environmental impact of students in 2024 but we have actually made such a change that other students in future years might use our resources and knowledge to make better travel choices, helping to reduce their carbon footprint. We are really proud of what we have achieved, in getting more pupils to ditch the ride for a park and stride and in achieving Gold accreditation.”
TfL Citizens is one of the five TfL Travel for Life programmes. It is aimed at children aged 10-11 and is delivered by the London Transport Museum and now has more than 100,000 pupils with 91% of London schools taking part. The programme prepares children to travel to secondary school and teaches kids how to plan their journey.
National charity Living Streets has cited numerous studies supporting the link between the health benefits of walking and cycling to school with improvements in mood and behaviour in children. The Government has set a target of 55 per cent of primary school-aged children walking to school by 2025.
A year 8 pupil from St Gregory’s Catholic Science College, who took part in air quality monitoring near the school, said: “I realised how much harmful polluted air there is that we breathe in, in our daily lives, for example on the roads. This trip made me more aware of environmental issues and inspired me to advocate for cleaner air and take action to protect the environment and the wellbeing and health of humans.”
Road safety is also improved with fewer parents driving their kids to school, a big incentive for TfL who looks to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from London’s transport network, part of its Vision Zero programme. TfL has undertaken several measures to improve safety for under-16s on London’s roads. The number of children killed or seriously injury on London’s roads has fallen by 40 per cent compared with TfL’s 2010-2014 baseline.
Elizabeth McKay, director and CEO at London Transport Museum, said: “A big part of what we do at London Transport Museum is giving young people the skills, opportunities and confidence for the future. This includes working together to make greener choices, and so we’re incredibly proud to collaborate with TfL and the London Boroughs on the delivery of Travel for Life. The recent increase in Gold accredited schools is inspiring – demonstrating young Londoners’ and schools’ commitment to a healthier, brighter, and more sustainable city.”
TfL is pushing for more people to take up cycling, and encouraging children may be the best option for long term cycling uptake.