A focus on Hampshire schools
A focus on: Fairfields Primary School, Basingstoke.
An example of how effective campaign planning can lead to increases in active travel for the campaign duration, but more importantly, provide a springboard for longer-term behaviour change.
Fairfields Primary School has been engaged in the Modeshift STARS active travel scheme for the last two years and has progressed to hold a Good (Bronze) Travel Plan.
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Using Bike Week as the springboard event:
Fairfields Primary School was keen to reduce congestion from parent/carer parking outside the school and increase rates of active travel for the wellbeing of pupils. The school decided to use the national event: Bike Week (June 2025) as their springboard to organise a series of exciting bicycle/scooter-related events for pupils/families:
- Encouraged pupils to their ride bike/scooter to school for the week,
- Pupils conducted bike/scooter counts and awarded house points,
- Bling Your Wheels / competition,
- Launch of the Bike Bus!
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Translating the success into longer-term behaviour change:
So, campaigns such as these are just the start!
The success of Bike Week has provided the school with a foundation to continue to build on. The school do not want to see campaigns such as Bike Week standing in isolation but as the springboard for longer-term behaviour change. As such the school continues to encourage pupils/families to see active travel as the norm (this can be active travel for the full journey or use of a Park and Stride) and to embed this behaviour into the everyday school journey.
One agreed follow-on activity from Bike Week was a visit from Luke Hughes, the school’s Local Authority Travel Planning Officer, who met the Junior Road Safety Officers and helped plan/action the school’s next steps. These included, in January, the JRSOs handing out stickers to pupils who walked/wheeled, scooted or cycled to school – providing extra encouragement during a month when active travel often drops. The school also created and shared an information sheet for parents/carers on the benefits of active travel and an updated Park and Stride map. Luke also hosted a drop-in session at the Sunflower café where he spoke with parents/carers about active travel and parking. Moreover, the school is delighted that the Bike Bus will continue to run due to the appetite from families, and there have already been two further Bike Bus events! Proof that “mighty oaks from little acorns grow”!
So, the advice from Fairfields is to start with a focus on a specific campaign, plan and promote this well, fully use your JRSO team, do not see the campaign in isolation but build on its success to keep the momentum going. The aim being to support longer-term behaviour change, for families to see active travel (particularly on the school journey) as a normal part of family life.
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Supporting other schools with active travel:
Fairfields is delighted to have been contacted by another school seeking support on setting up their own Bike Bus. The school is more than happy to share best practice and support others also working to encourage safer and active journeys.
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More information on Fairfield’s Bike Week:
Encouraged pupils to ride their bikes/scooters to school for the week:
Being a town centre school, Fairfields have high volumes of residential traffic and parking in the vicinity. Although there is no specific dedicated cycling infrastructure in the area, this actually acted as a motivator for the Bike Bus – the drive to help children and adults learn to navigate roads, improving confidence and skills (see section Launch of Bike Bus below). The school normally have around 30 children riding or scooting to school. Ahead of the Bike Week launch, the JRSOs assisted with promoting the event in assembly. A poster was also created and promoted to families via the weekly newsletter and of course pupils were keen to tell their parents/carers all about what was happening!
Pupils conducted bike/scooter counts and awarded house points:
The JRSO team conducted daily observations on numbers and awarded every pupil that cycled or scooted house points. It was very competitive! This resulted in cycling/scooting rates rising during the week to peak at 136 children on the Friday! Conducting counts was a great way of tracking the success of the campaign.
Bling Your Wheels / competition:
Bike Week culminated with a Bling Your Bike & Scooter Day on the Friday. Again, this was well advertised and there were so many amazing decorations. The effort pupils/families had gone to was incredible. The JRSO’s, with difficulty, chose eight winners across the school. Below are just a few examples of the wonderfully decorated wheels!
Launch of the Bike Bus!
Fairfield School’s first ever Bike Bus was launched on the Friday as part of the week’s events. The event was organised and led by one of the school’s parents. Bike Bus guidelines were created to ensure a safe and smooth event. The event was promoted for confident parent/carer-pupil duos to participate. Full information on how the event would run was given. 40 children and parents/carers took part joining from five nominated pick-up points. The local community talk positively about the Bike Bus, and this has led to new school starters joining the Bike Bus. So, there is much confidence this will continue to grow. Families also feedback about how the Bike Bus has encouraged more use of the bikes during family leisure time, often replacing a car journey!
The Basingstoke Gazette even covered the Bike Bus launch story: Fairfields Primary Bike Bus Scheme Launched.
The parent who organised the event summed its success up wonderfully: “It was honestly one of the happiest school drop-offs I’ve ever seen. Every child riding in felt like part of something special and you could see how proud they were of themselves.”
Some truly inspirational behaviour change work, keep up the splendid work!
To read about other 'Focus on' schools choose an edition of the Modeshift STARS information leaflet below:
Edition 1: A focus on Fairfield Infant School, Havant
Edition 2: A focus on Brune Park Community School, Gosport
Edition 3: A focus on STARS School of the Year finalists
Edition 4: A focus on Ashurst Pre-School, New Forest
Edition 5: A focus on Lockerley Church of England Endowed Primary School, Romsey
Edition 7: A focus on: Clanfield Junior School, Clanfield, Waterlooville.
If you would like your school to be showcased, please email: travelplans@hants.gov.uk