Active Travel at Ty’n y Wern

Tell us about your project:

As a Platinum Green Flag Eco-School, promoting active travel is a key part of Ty’n y Wern Primary School’s commitment to sustainability, health and wellbeing, and reducing its environmental impact. Throughout the year, pupils and their families are encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school wherever possible.

One of the school’s most successful initiatives is its weekly Bike Bus, which continues to grow in popularity. On average, around 20 pupils, family members and staff take part each week, travelling to school together in a safe, fun and sociable way. The school also organises themed rides throughout the year, such as the Halloween “Spook My Ride” event, helping to make active travel exciting and encouraging even more families to get involved.

During the national Big Walk and Wheel campaign, the school placed an even greater focus on active travel through daily assemblies, class activities, competitions and incentives, celebrating pupils who chose to travel actively to school.

What did you do and how did you involve the whole school?:

Active travel was promoted across the whole school through assemblies, classroom discussions and regular communication with families through Seesaw and the school newsletter. Every class took part in the Big Walk and Wheel challenge, with daily encouragement and updates helping to keep motivation high throughout the campaign.

The weekly Bike Bus provided an opportunity for pupils, parents and carers, and staff to travel to school together, building confidence in cycling while strengthening connections within the local community. Themed events, including “Spook My Ride”, added an element of fun and created opportunities for new families to get involved.

To maintain enthusiasm during the Big Walk and Wheel campaign, the school offered incentives and prizes for active travel, celebrated participation in assemblies and shared successes across the school. Prizes included bikes and scooters sourced from local businesses.

By involving pupils, staff and families, active travel became a genuine whole-school initiative rather than simply an individual challenge.

How and why did you decide on this target?:

As an Eco-School, Heart of the Community School and Gold Active Journeys School, Ty’n y Wern wanted to reduce the environmental impact of journeys to school while also improving pupils’ health, wellbeing and independence.

Encouraging more families to walk, cycle or scoot helps to reduce traffic congestion around the school, lower carbon emissions and promote healthier lifestyles. Although many pupils were already travelling actively, the school recognised that there was still scope to increase participation.

Active travel was therefore identified as an important target because it supports both the school’s environmental aims and the health and wellbeing of its wider community.

How has the project impacted on your school and your community?:

The project has had a very positive impact across the school and wider community. During the Big Walk and Wheel campaign, the percentage of pupils travelling actively increased from 69% to 83%, demonstrating the difference that focused promotion, encouragement and a sense of shared participation can make.

The Bike Bus continues to grow, with around 15–20 participants each week. It has helped families to feel more confident about cycling to school, strengthened relationships between the school and the wider community, and created a positive and sociable atmosphere at the start of each school day.

The project has also raised awareness of sustainable travel and encouraged families to consider making longer-term changes to their travel habits.

How did you celebrate success and what are your next steps?:

The school celebrated pupils’ achievements throughout the Big Walk and Wheel campaign through assemblies, prizes and positive praise. Themed Bike Bus events, such as “Bling My Ride”, also provided fun opportunities to celebrate active travel and maintain enthusiasm throughout the year.

The next steps are to continue growing the Bike Bus by introducing a new route, organise more themed rides throughout the year and encourage even more families to take part in active travel. The school will continue to monitor participation and look for new ways to make sustainable travel an enjoyable and regular part of school life.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about this project?:

This project has shown that small, consistent actions can lead to significant change. By making active travel fun, inclusive and community-focused, Ty’n y Wern has helped to create lasting habits that benefit both pupils and the environment.

The enthusiasm shown by pupils, staff and families demonstrates how sustainability is embedded within the school’s culture. The project reflects Ty’n y Wern’s ongoing commitment as a Platinum Green Flag, Heart of the Community and Gold Active Journeys school, while showing how working together can turn sustainable travel into a positive part of everyday school life.