King’s Ely has become the first independent school in the East of England to win a national award for its commitment to promoting sustainable transport within the school community.
The Modeshift STARS awards scheme has been established to recognise schools that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable transport. The scheme encourages schools to increase levels of sustainable and active transport and in so doing, improve the health and well-being of children and young people.
King’s Ely won the award for its school travel plan, which promotes the use of cycling and walking to and from school, as well as safer travel practices, both on and off school grounds.
Mark Hart, Chief Operating Officer at King’s Ely, commented: “The school has been working with the highways authority on several projects aimed at improving student and staff safety, including improved signage, crossings and lighting. An increase in school buses and bus routes to allow pupils to travel to the school from key locations throughout Cambridgeshire has also reduced the number of vehicles travelling on the county’s roads.”
Rosemary Mullen, Assistant Road Safety Officer at Cambridgeshire County Council, who visited the school on Monday (23) to present the award, said: “When people talk about transport, they rarely mean walking, scooting or cycling; transport is often seen as ‘something you get into’, such as a car, bus or train. The work done by the school to support sustainable travel shows that it is possible to promote ways of travel that are beneficial to the health and well-being of young people and the environment.”