Hop on board a walk to school scheme

The KM Charity Team works in partnership with Medway Council and Kent County Council to provide walk to school services for both local authority areas.

Schemes include:

• Walking Bus
• Walk on Wednesday (WOW)
• Walking Bug

To varying degrees all improve the health of the children using them, teach vital road safety skills, saves parents' time and reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the streets around the school. Al three schemes provide the jewel in the crown of a school's Travel Plan or to secure eco-school status.

Join Wowzer, Orbit the dog and Wendy as they Walk on Wednesday

This is our starter scheme and is school led with families walking their children to school a minimum of one day per week, usually Wednesdays.

Children are rewarded with a special sticker each walk. This sticker is displayed on a cartoon-themed card. Once all the spaces are filled with stickers the child receives a treat provided by the walk to schol partnership.

Three times each year a challenge day is held with the class achieving the highest number of walks on the challenge day receiving a special trophy and prizes for the children, plus publicity in the local KM Group newspaper.

Data capture to track progress is achieved each Wednesday morning with a simple hands-up survey in participating classes. This is usually undertaken by Year 6 pupils but can be looked after by staff at registration. The slips of paper detailing the date, class name and figure for the number of children who walked to school that day is taken to the school office where a member of the admin team has a log-in to type the figures directly into the www.kmwalktoschool.co.uk website's admin area.

The system for data capure is simple to use, engages the children in a positive way and provides a wealth of information enabling you, the charity and the council to track which classes are doing best in terms of walking to school and how many school run vehicle trips the school is removing from local roads.

There is a cost for using the WOW resources which is heavily subsidised by commercial sponsors and the council. Currently the cost is: £60 plus vat per school towards the annual admin and support charge provided by the charity KM Walk to School; £25 per class for the class resources and stickers. Optional banners for the school gates are also available at £50 each. Extended School Managers at the council occasionally provide a subsidy for WOW.

To find out more click the yellow WOW button above or get in touch with a WOW Project Oficer through the contact section of this website.

Buster the Bug explores the county with the help of your class

Walking Bug is our mid way scheme for classes and differs from WOW in two ways:

• Families are expected to walk to school most days of the week.
• There is optional curriculum involvement with classes typically using golden time to make use of these weekly class-time rewards.

This school led scheme is the same as WOW in that families are not expected to collaborate and no organised walks to school are created.

Children are rewarded with mark in their cartoon-themed card for each walk to school.

Each class has a cartoon-themed display poster for the wall depicting a series of attractions and landmarks which is available to use. Four footsteps link each attraction creating a route around the map. For every 20 walks to school a class achieves one footstep is coloured in. In practice this means each week every class will reach a different landmark or attraction on the chart and earn the right to use their golden time to take on a fun class activity based on the landmark or attraction. The walk to school partnership provides Key Stage 1 and 2 curriculum materials for all the locations to ensure this is a pleasurable experience for the teacher!

Three times each year a challenge day is held with the class achieving the highest number of walks on the challenge day receiving a special trophy and prizes for the children, plus publicity in the local KM Group newspaper.

Data capture to track progress is achieved each Wednesday morning with a simple hands-up survey in participating classes. This is usually undertaken by Year 6 pupils but can be looked after by staff at registration. The slips of paper detailing the date, class name and figure for the number of children who walked to school that day is taken to the school office where a member of the admin team has a log-in to type the figures directly into the www.kmwalktoschool.co.uk website's admin area.

The system for data capure is simple to use, engages the children in a positive way and provides a wealth of information enabling you, the charity and the council to track which classes are doing best in terms of walking to school and how many schol run vehicle trips the school is removing from local roads.

There is a cost for using the Walking Bug  resources which is heavily subsidised by commercial sponsors and the council. Currently the cost is: £60 plus vat per school towards the admin and support charge provided by KM Walk to School; £25 per class for the class resources. Optional banners for the school gates are also available at £50 each. Extended School Managers at the council occasionally provide a subsidy for Walking Bug.

To find out more click the yellow BUG button above or get in touch with a Walking Bug Project Oficer through the contact section of this website.

Walking Bus makes walking to school cool

Walking Buses are the jewel in the crown of the KM Walk to School Team. 

Schemes work with a collaboration of parents taking it in turns to escort a column of children to school along a set route. All involved wear high-viz and adult helpers are also CRB checked.

• Medway Council and Kent County Council staff will risk assess the route.
• Adult helpers complete a CRB form at the school office. As volunteers there is no charge.
• Parents complete a combined parental consent form and walk to school registration on this website.
• Parent orders the tabard size required for themselves as a helper, if appropriate, and for their child. This request is completed online through the parent's My Account area on this website.
• School representative clicks to aprove family to join scheme through the My Scheme area on this website.

There is a cost for operating the walking bus. This is £100 per annum per school. This charge is per school not per walking bus scheme. The charge covers the cost of walking bus tabards, end of term treats for walking bus children, family events and help and support, all provided by the KM Walk to School Team which is part of the registered charity Kent and Medway Charity Team.

For more information click on the yellow Bus button above or get in touch through the contact section of this website.