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Pupil journey planning

Suitable for Key Stage 2 and secondary school pupils.

Overview

Education phase

Key stage 2 Key stage 3 Key stage 4 Key stage 5

Category of activity

Supporting

Types of activity

Curriculum

How it helps

  • Encourages safe independent decision making
  • Supports the curriculum
  • Encourages independent travel

About the activity

As pupils become independent travellers, it is important they learn how to plan their journeys to and from school. They can also think about how they might visit friends and family on foot, by bike or using local public transport.

This activity can help pupils understand bus and train networks and navigate roads and paths as well as reading associated maps. It also highlights the importance of personal and road safety when travelling.

Prior to carrying out the activity you will need to research the local area so you are aware of:

  • Quiet or badly lit roads, paths and parks to avoid for personal safety reasons
  • Busy roads and junctions to avoid for road safety reasons
  • Stretches of roads and junctions prone to congestion around rush hour - highlight that in some cases it may be quicker to walk than take the bus
  • Local train and bus routes – if your pupils use public transport, highlight issues around behaviour and safety

You could carry out the above research with your school travel working group as part of a visual environmental audit. See the audit and research card for more information.

What you’ll need

  • Bus and train maps
  • Road maps of the local area
  • Access to TfL’s online journey planner

How to evidence your activity

  • Involve your borough officer: Share your ideas, agree your targets and discuss any challenges you face
  • Record the feedback from pupils
  • Add your story to "my activities".  Explain your activity, add photos and include planning documents, promotional material and any communications with your council. Also include any risk assessment documents

Activity steps

Step 1

Talk travel. Ask your class about their journeys to school or leisure activities. Find out how they’d like to travel and about any traffic and safety challenges they face

Step 2

Get planning. Using local road and public transport maps and TfL’s Journey Planner (see Resources), ask pupils to come up with different ways to travel to their chosen destination

Step 3

Safety first. In pairs or groups decide which routes are the safest and quickest. Remember to point out any busy roads and badly-lit paths and alleys

Step 4

Put it into practice. If possible, ask pupils to try out the safest routes they found next time they go home or come to school

Step 5

Check for success. Have your pupils opted for safer routes to school? Ask them whether they used their planning skills for other trips and record their feedback

Step 6

Tell your story. Upload your evidence to "my activities"