St Peter s Catholic Primary School ACTIVE TRAVEL POLICY

Transcription

1 St Peter s Catholic Primary School ACTIVE TRAVEL POLICY Information for Parents/Carers about travelling to and from school We are aware that travel to and from St Peter s can be challenging at times. We are unusual in that we have a large catchment area compared to most primary schools (it covers the whole Catholic parish from Sutton Scotney to Otterbourne and Stockbridge to Alresford), therefore not as many pupils live within walking distance of school, plus we are located on a dead end road - with only approximately 37 on street parking places. We also share the road with Kings School children who are walking often in the opposite direction each morning and evening, and with many neighbours who we want to ensure experience the school and parents as good neighbours. As the school has grown in size we have been carefully monitoring the travel situation, and would like to ensure that everyone is aware of the facts, to try and help alleviate the situation as much as possible. Our no.1 priority is the safety of our children. They need to be able to walk safely along the pavements, and emergency vehicles need to ALWAYS have access to the school and properties along the road. Please see the attached St Peter s Road Safety Guidance document. The government and local councils are making NO further provision for parking for parents at ANY schools. The government promotes the benefits of even a small walk (5-10 mins) to school: the children learn better having had some fresh air; walking tackles obesity; cars not coming close to the school vicinity reduces pollution in the school playground; it s more fun - talking to a parent or carer on the way assists with language skills etc. If we have to get into our cars for the school run government guidelines recommend that we park away from the school and then walk into the school vicinity. Have a look at our attached Park and stride map. The government wants us to travel sustainably to school and has invested lots into this = Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF). Sustainable travel: = walk, travel in a car with other children from school, travel on a bus, bicycle or public transport (anything where there is not just one passenger in a car). The government is encouraging everyone to walk as much as possible. Exercise is important for life - see the Change for Life website. Page 1 of 5 July 2018

2 Our school The capacity of St Peter s school is 420 pupils spread across approximately 290 families (as well as around 55 Little Fishes pupils). We have about half those families with one child in school and about half with more than one. Staff numbers have increased as the school has grown and there are 15 permanent staff plus 38 part-time staff across the main school and Little Fishes. In the last comprehensive travel survey we noted the following: Most of the cars PARKED in the road in the morning belonged to Reception/Year 1 children (we appreciate that the turning circle drop off doesn t work for younger children). MANY children/parents were making a great effort to park away from the school road and trying to park and stride, or walk all the way to school - WELL DONE! When it rains lots more cars come into the school road. Many more cars are trying to park in the school road in the afternoons compared to the mornings. We appreciate the turning circle assists in the mornings. The staff car park is completely full and often double parked. Initiatives we have introduced to help: School Buses The school minibuses started in September 2005 and were originally conceived as a selfhelp operation by parents and governors at the School, after the old commercial coach service went into liquidation overnight in The idea was that costs would be contained by 5 year lease/contract hire arrangements and recruiting mainly volunteer drivers and that such costs would be shared equally between parents (via a journey fare), Hampshire County Council (HCC) when they offered support for transport to school, the school and the Parish. We currently have 3 minibuses and are we are used as a model for other schools by the government. The objectives of the school minibuses is to ensure that all families in the parish can access the Catholic school without barriers of public transport availability or cost, and also to further our commitment to CAFOD Live Simply by reducing the number of car journeys made for the school run. The three buses run each school day out as far as Sutton Scotney, Crawley, South Wonston, Littleton, Kingsworthy, Itchen Abbas, Colden Common and to all the estates in Winchester as well as to the city centre. Due to a lack of volunteer drivers we only run two buses in the afternoons. In each financial year we expect the costs of the minibus service to be approx 50k. We expect to raise approx. 30k from journey fares, leaving a shortfall of 20k. HCC have now ceased any support so the shortfall is made good by Parish support with the balance being funded by the School. Page 2 of 5 July 2018

3 We would like to re-discover a large cohort of volunteer drivers that would enable us to do without our paid drivers as they retire thereby saving the payroll costs and returning the service to a genuine self-help operation. If we could encourage enough volunteer drivers to join the rota, it could be very undemanding but incredibly supportive to the School. Families living further from school and in areas without access to public transport are given priority. Winchester Village Park and Ride and Romsey Road Back Gate We have worked in partnership with Winchester City Council and Hampshire County Council to use some of the Winchester Village development funding to provide a new alternative for parking and this started in The park and ride has spaces reserved for St Peter s. WCC's parking team advise that in the morning school parents use the 12 parking bays provided to park though that "From around 3pm, the P&R does start to empty slightly. Therefore the City Council will take the sensible approach of not enforcing vehicles without tickets from 3:15 to 3:45, term time only. If the 12 bays are already full, the City Council will tolerate parent parking in any other empty parking bay for that time period." However at any time "Any vehicle parking out of bay or on the footpaths will be liable for a parking ticket." We have a back gate and path into school that connects to the Park and Ride site via a controlled traffic light crossing. Because of the busy Romsey Road we think this route is only suitable for children who are accompanied by their parents or carers, not for walking in on their own. The gate is unlocked for school start and finish times in the mornings and afternoons but locked at all other times. Please close the gate behind you when you use this route. Safeguarding all our children, parents and staff is paramount. Therefore, if you intend to use this entry to school you must use it responsibly and follow these instructions: Children using this entrance must be supervised by a parent or carer. Please do not allow children to use this entrance or walk to the playground unaccompanied. If your child walks to school, they must continue to use Oliver's Battery Road North. Morning - On school days, the gate will be unlocked between 8.30am am. The gate will not be held open. We ask that parents/carers open the gate and close it behind them once inside the school site. Please keep to the path and walk your child to the playground. If you need to come into the school building, you must report to reception. There is no entrance or exit via this gate after 9.00am. Afternoon - The gate will be unlocked between 3.20pm and 3.50pm. The same procedures apply. There is no entrance or exit via this gate after 3.50pm. The gate will be locked at all other times. The gate is monitored by CCTV from reception 24 hours a day. We hope that this becomes a convenient alternative to using Oliver's Battery Road North and ask for your vigilance to ensure it's safe use. Page 3 of 5 July 2018

4 Morning Drop Offs and Afternoon Pick Ups at St Peter s Morning Turning circle - mornings are busy for people - getting to work and other journeys by car - and we have introduced the turning circle to be helpful for those who can drop their children without needing to accompany them to the playground or go to the office. Please ensure that you drive as far forward as possible in the turning circle before dropping children to ensure that the traffic flows around the circle. Please beware of pedestrians when pulling into and out of the turning circle into OBRN. If you need to visit the office or classroom then the turning circle is not for you that day park and stride instead. Afternoon Pick ups The turning circle is not available in the afternoons for pick up because of the number of pedestrians in the area and the potential congestion. Walking or using the Park and Ride site is the recommended way to collect your children. The afterschool club is also a possibility so that you can time pick-ups to suit your schedule and avoid peak times. Disabled Car parking spaces We have moved the disabled places to the front of the school and also have a dropped kerb there. Please enquire at the school office if you need a disabled place as they are limited and depending on need, we may be able to direct you to a car park. OBRN Parking Please consider the needs of parents with younger children in Reception and Little Fishes and try to park and stride if your children are in Year 1 and above. The Park and Stride map is attached and also available on the school website in the Travel area. If you do park in OBRN, be prepared to park at a distance from the school and avoid causing problems for neighbours. Parking in front of school (between Fairfax Close and the Little Fishes driveway) Our school has three entrances onto OBRN - two for the turning circle and one near Little Fishes. The zig zags for the three entrances are for safety and emergency access. There are only four safe parking spaces between Fairfax Close and the end of the zig zags at the Little Fishes driveway (these are clearly visible between the zig zags and are on the school side of the road). To ensure safety and emergency vehicle access to St Peter s school and other properties in the road, the non-school side of OBRN between Fairfax and Little Fishes is safest clear of vehicles. It is safest to not park opposite St Peter s zig zags. This will also ease traffic flow. Please note the highway code in regard to parking in front of school: - Rule 243 DO NOT stop or park: near a school entrance anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space in front of an entrance to a property Page 4 of 5 July 2018

5 Please also consider the following from the highway code when parking in OBRN: - Rule 238 Double yellow lines indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time even if there are no upright signs. You MUST NOT wait or park, or stop to set down and pick up passengers, on school entrance markings (see Road markings ) when upright signs indicate a prohibition of stopping. Waiting and parking (238 to 252) Rule 239 do not park facing against the traffic flow you MUST switch off the engine, headlights and fog lights i.e. Please NO IDLING OF ENGINES you MUST ensure you do not hit anyone when you open your door. Check for cyclists or other traffic it is safer for your passengers (especially children) to get out of the vehicle on the side next to the kerb Rule 244 You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs. Reception Year and Little Fishes Parents We recognise that starting at a new school, particularly if you are a new parent to our school, is a stressful time and we send out a number of documents to try and help parents get to know how things are done at St Peters. The park and stride map and the Road safety Guidance are issued twice during the first few months, at the information and liturgy evening in June/July and during the first half of the autumn term. Governors and parents volunteer to be on car parking patrol on OBRN for a few weeks in the autumn term to help encourage good habits and various class projects highlight road safety and parking in OBRN as part of the children s contribution to improving safety around the school. Modeshift website Modeshift STARS is the national schools awards scheme that has been established to recognise schools that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel. The scheme encourages schools across the country to join in a major effort to increase levels of sustainable and active travel in order to improve the health and well-being of children and young people. St Peter s is part of this initiative and has a Bronze Award. We are working towards collecting our Silver and Gold awards in the future. Beemore says be more Travel Smart Page 5 of 5 July 2018