A safe, clean and green school run for every child
We’re on a mission to solve the # schoolrun. We're a parent-led charity that combines unique data insights with experience of real-world, parent-powered solutions. Whether it's a cargo bike, a school street or chaperoned mini-bus, we help families, communities and local authorities find the solutions that will cut congestion, reduce pollution and reclaim the streets around our schools.
Read on to find how we can help you....
Ways to improve the school run
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Did you know?
UK families are seriously losing out!
How does the primary school run here compare to other countries?
UK vs USa
UK vs japan
In the UK, if you are under the age of 8, you have to live over 2 miles from your nearest primary school to qualify for free state travel to school. 2 miles can be a long way for a 6 year old to walk to school...
In the case of the US, in many states the iconic yellow school bus system starts with pupils as young as a 4 year old, living just 0.5 miles away from whichever school you choose to attend. This means working parents do not have to fit in the schoolrun around their work day and drive their children to school. In our opinion, a much better system! And it doesn't have to be a physical bus vehicle that takes pupils short distances to school. Ideally, it would be a staffed walking line, or cycle group that pupils can join. They key point here is it is a government or council provided service so that the individual parent does not have to make these journeys.
In UK schools, primary school pupils aren’t traditionally allowed to travel to school independently until they are year 5 or 6, starting this journey at around age 10. This is mostly because of the road danger risk along their walking routes and perhaps the perceived risk of other societal dangers.
In the case of Japan, they have cultivated a society where pupils as young as 5 or 6 walk together en mass to school. It's considered normal for children to travel alone. The roads are safer precisely because there is so much less school related traffic, reducing road danger and their public transport system in superb. There is a sense of community safety with often the retired generation providing an informal adult presence on the street. Again, this means working parents don’t have to fit the school run in around their work day. We love this!
UK vs germany
Research shows that only 25% of primary school pupils in the UK travel home alone as opposed to 76% in Germany. That's so many more UK families having to plan the school run into their day, and as a consequence so many more school run car trips.
Countries all over the world have designed or enabled collective approaches for transport for schools. That means that pupils can get to school from a young age without their parents. To reduce car journeys, pollution, carbon emissions, road danger and family stress, this is what we need in the UK.
