Children at Southill Primary School in Weymouth have designed a park and stride scheme to encourage students and their families to be more active and environmentally-aware.
The Year Six students planned and mapped the route along traffic-free paths, with no roads to cross, before walking along it to assess how long it took.
The aim of the scheme is to help to keep the streets close to their school clear of cars – reducing congestion and pollution, and creating a safer and more pleasant environment.
The scheme was launched on 31 January when the whole school, children and staff met at the shops and walked to school together.
Headteacher Paul Mason said: “As a school that encourages its pupils to lead active and healthy lifestyles, we are pleased that it is the children themselves who are taking the lead in encouraging their family and school community to walk to school. They know that this will help make the school a safer place and that everyone will feel the health and social benefits of walking to school together.”
It is part of a nationwide project run by charity Sustrans, which encourages people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of the journeys we make every day.
Jonathan Dixon from the charity said: “By asking people who drive to school to park at the shops in Southill, we hope to reduce the number of cars near the school at the start and end of the day. This will make the streets around Southill Primary School much nicer for everyone.
“It will also help people to get the exercise they need every day to keep healthy, and research shows that pupils who do more exercise are better learners in the classroom. Let’s not forget that it can be fun too.”
Sustrans’ work in Dorset is funded by Dorset County Council.
David Harris, county councillor for Westham said: “The park and stride scheme produced by the Year Six students at Southill is a fantastic follow-up to their earlier success with the NHS fitness trial, which was designed to encourage people to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which they won last year. These young people are setting a superb example.”
