Safe travel

Belmont has been awarded Gold level STARS accreditation.  STARS - Sustainable Travel Active Responsible Safe -  recognises initiatives to promote safe travel to and from school.  The School has had a Travel Plan in place for a number of years, developed by a team of stakeholders including staff, governors, parents and pupils in conjunction with a team from the local authority.  This is revisited regularly and developed further.  As a result of this plan and partnership with the council, improvements have been made in the vicinity of the School; most recently the introduction of a 20mph zone outside the School.  

We encourage children to walk, scoot or cycle to school and link this to our initiatives to develop habits in children for a healthy active lifestyle.   Cycle and scooter racks are available for children and for staff and adult visitors.  Walk to School is a an initiative led by the borough with a focus week in the summer term, in which  'Debra the Zebra' visits  to teach children about road safety.

Recently, we have particularly focused on developing cycling skills and safety throughout the School. Younger children develop balance on balance bikes in the playground and new cycling clubs provide children  with the opportunity to learn and practise in a safe environment with expert tuition.  Year 5 and 6 pupils participate in the certificated annual cycling proficiency programme, which culminates in teaching children safe cycling on local roads in preparation for transition to secondary school.

We continue to seek ways in which safety may be further improved and this is a frequent agenda item at the Belmont Home School Association.  Parents and visitors to the School are reminded to park only in designated parking bays near the School for the safety of our children and community.