Transport for London has celebrated 18 London schools for their outstanding work to increase active travel and improve safety and air quality across the city, as part of TfL’s schools programme, Travel for Life.

An ‘Inspiring Success’ awards ceremony hosted by London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, celebrated 18 schools nominated by their local council for inspiring delivery of TfL’s Travel for Life accreditation programme. TfL Travel for Life offers free education programmes to schools and education settings across London, to help them increase active and sustainable travel options on the school run, reduce car use and improve safety, health and wellbeing.

Nightingale Primary School in Redbridge reduced car usage on the school run from 30 per cent to 19 per cent, William Morris School in Merton increased walking and cycling by four per cent, and Thames View Junior School in Barking and Dagenham brought car and motorcycle use down to just nine per cent.

Each of the 18 schools have also delivered improvements from installing cycle and scooter facilities to introducing safer streets around school gates. Springfield Primary School in Hackney installed storage for 55 additional scooters and secured eight pool bikes, while Nightingale Primary School in Redbridge helped secure a School Street.  

Around 1,500 London schools are now taking part in TfL Travel for Life, which is delivered in partnership with the London Transport Museum and London boroughs. Schools achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold accreditation for reducing car use, improving safety and increasing sustainable travel. 

Last year, TfL reached a significant milestone of more than 1,000 Gold-accredited schools, and is on track to maintain this for the current academic year. To achieve Gold accreditation, a school must reduce car use by six per cent or achieve 90 per cent of the school run on sustainable transport. 

TfL Travel for Life and the work delivered by schools supports the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy. This strategy includes Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport network by 2041, and the Healthy Streets approach, which focuses on creating streets where everyone feels safe to walk, wheel, scoot and cycle.

London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said:

‘These awards recognise the outstanding work of schools across London helping more children walk, cycle and scoot to school, while improving road safety and air quality in their communities.

‘I’m delighted that more than 1,500 schools are now taking part in Travel for Life, but we want even more schools to benefit, and I encourage any schools interested in getting involved to get in touch with TfL.

‘The Mayor and I are committed to making it easier for people to choose walking or cycling on short regular journeys like the school run, as we continue building a greener, safer, better London for everyone.’

(Picture: Chris Snape)