Clean Air Scooter Challenge
The Clean Air Scooter Challenge takes place in June each year to support National Clean Air Day.
The event provides schools with a great opportunity to encourage their pupils to scoot and travel actively throughout the week. As the challenge encompasses Clean Air Day there is a focus on air quality and the benefits of scooting and active travel. Participating schools also have the chance to win some amazing prizes!
Why scoot? Why not?! Scooting is fun and great exercise. Plus, for those who live too far to scoot all the way to school, scooters are compact enough to fit in the car. This allows parents to park 5-10 minutes away from the school site so children can Scoot from the Boot.
School Competition 2024
The last Clean Air Scooter Challenge took place from Monday 17 to Friday 21 June 2024. All schools taking part were invited to enter the 'Scooter Scrapbook' competition by recording how they promoted the event and encouraged pupils to scoot as often as possible.
There were many impressive entries which demonstrated a range of promotional initiatives, fun activities and lots of scooting!!
We are now delighted to announce our winner and runners-up:
Competition winner: Mansel Park Primary School.
Mansel Park Primary School ensured the Scooter Challenge was well promoted by sending out letters and text reminders to families prior to the event. They also did a whole school assembly, and the School Councillors displayed posters around the school. In the week building up to the event, the school councillors went round to every class recording how pupils were travelling to school. These counts were again completed during the challenge, and it was great to see some classes doubling their scooter numbers! Daily scooter parades were held in the school playground and scooter skills were encouraged at break times, with a focus on practicing turning, stopping and gliding. Extra scooter storage had to be found, due to the high numbers arriving throughout the week!
Competition runners- up: Kanes Hill Primary School.
Kanes Hill Primary School did lots of promotion for the Scooter Challenge through their social media platforms, newsletters and assembly. They incorporated a poster competition within their challenge, where Year 6 paired up with Year R pupils to help give them a better understanding of Clean Air Day and the Scooter Challenge. The Junior Travel Ambassadors were kept busy taking photographs of pupils arriving by scooter throughout the week, and there was an obvious increase in the number of scooters being stored!
The winning schools have both won sets of scooters and helmets.
Other useful scooting information and resources
A Wild Walk to School - For KS1, this book focuses on the air quality benefits of travelling actively to school. The story demonstrates an active journey to school enables time to be spent looking at nature.
A Right Royal Adventure - For KS2, the story focuses on the history of air quality and how we can influence the future.
My Journey Scooter Challenge Stickers - A sheet of fun Scooter Challenge stickers featuring our scooting and wheeling birds. The sheet is compatible with Avery L7161 label template.
Air Quality – Resources and information about air quality and Southampton Schools Clean Air project.
My Journey Scooting Film - Meet Baron Karl Von Drais de Saurbrun, who invented the 'street walker' in 1817. He speaks on the importance of making a positive environmental difference in your local community and how greater exercise and active travel can benefit all.
Scooter Training – The Scooter Challenge could be a great opportunity to do some scooter training in school, try out these in-school scooter training guidelines for teachers.
Scooting to School – Includes some top tips to share with pupils for scooting safely.
Start Scooting – A great information sheet from Sustrans about getting going with scooting.