To receive additional information to support the Committee’s work on the School Streets Scheme.
Minutes:
The Director: Education & Skills presented the School Streets scheme to the Committee. The scheme resulted from a previous working group from the Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee between March and September 2021. The working group conducted a number of evidence gathering workshops which consisted of testimonials from individual officers both in and from other local authorities. A number of examples were given as part of this scheme such as proposed road closures by schools during peak hours. However, there were a number of factors that were considered such as impacts on local residents and at the time the increased concern of the COVID-19 pandemic meant there were additional caution when approaching schools about being part of the scheme.
Following the initial working group, a report was produced that detailed the recommendations for the scheme or similar to be considered/implemented across schools in the Borough. Members heard that there were a number of other practical considerations when implementing a similar scheme.
Following the initial report being produced in 2021, Members were informed that the initial scheme had evolved and that officers were working towards an offer bespoke to Telford and Wrekin schools. The “A New Journey to School” was developed to offer schools a range of activities to encourage children to take up more active forms of travel to school. Members were informed of a few examples including bikeability classes and walking busses.
Members were asked to endorse this approach to school streets and recommend it as an alternative model. Members were informed that the pilot had seen interest from schools in the Borough. There were already a few schools interested in the scheme. In line with the working group recommendations, the scheme would look to launch the scheme by September 2024 and that further progress would be reported back to the committee.
Following the presentation, Members posed the following questions.
Do you work with Town and Parishes to address some of the issues such as enforcement, funding and lack of volunteers for certain activities like walking busses?
Members were informed that there had been work with Town and Parish Council’s to support the scheme and encourage take up amongst the communities and urged Members to support this further.
If a school were to be involved, do they have to choose certain activities from the scheme?
A school would be able to choose which activity they would like to use as part of the scheme.
How were elements of safety such as DBS checks accounted for with activities like walking busses?
The schools would work with the road safety team to support this and to put the infrastructure into practice regarding safety checks.
Were there further comms with parents/guardians to encourage uptake with the scheme?
There would be further comms about the scheme following the formal launch to show parents/carers the benefits of the scheme on both wellbeing and the environmental impacts.
Would you work with interested schools to help develop the scheme such as Donnington Wood Junior School who were interested in being involved?
The Director: Education & Skills informed Members that Donnington Wood Junior School were one of the schools that would be involved with the pilot. The importance of the pilot was stressed as an opportunity to learn what would work and then to implement a consistent approach across schools in the Borough.
Following comments and questions from Members, it was proposed that Members supported the scheme and for it be supported by Cabinet and that the pilot would be adopted.
RESOLVED – that the Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee recommend to Cabinet that the A New Journey to School scheme be implemented across schools in the Borough.