What is the Walk To School Challenge?
Hardwick Green takes part in Living Streets’ WOW – the walk to school challenge to help encourage as many children as possible to experience the benefits of walking to school. WOW is a pupil-led behaviour-change initiative where children self-report how they get to school every day. If they travel actively (walk/wheel, cycle, scoot or Park and Stride) at least once a week for a month, they get rewarded with a badge. It's that easy!
What are the benefits of walking to school?
- Children feel happier and healthier
- They arrive to school refreshed, and ready to learn
- Helps reduce congestion and pollution at the school gates
What if we can’t walk to school?
Remember, you can Park and Stride to help your child earn their WOW badge. Park or hop off public transport at least ten minutes away from the school and walk the rest of the way.
Where walking to school isn’t an option, our schools team work with school staff, including SENCO, to establish a bespoke approach to WOW that works best for their school community’s needs.
To ensure inclusivity, we offer a range of suggestions to schools for those that are unable to travel actively to school, these include pupils becoming WOW Ambassadors, leading assemblies, creating active travel notice boards, and other activities within the school day.
If you have any questions on the adaptability of WOW in SEND schools or have suggestions of how we can improve, we would love to hear your thoughts. Please email walktoschool@livingstreets.org.uk
The WOW badges
There are 11 new WOW badges to be earned, one for every month of the school year. Each badge has been designed by a pupil from across the UK as part of our annual WOW Badge Design Competition.
Pupils will be taking part in The British Nature Walk, earning badges ranging from the Urban Fox to Rochdale Canal, while getting closer to the nature found across Britain.
The badges are made in Cornwall from recycled plastic material that was otherwise destined for landfill, including fridge trays, plastic plates and yoghurt pot off-cuts. For more information, visit: livingstreets.org.uk/recycling
In the UK, last year, around 2,000 schools and over half a million pupils enjoyed the benefits of walking to school with WOW. Will you join us? If you have any questions about the programme, please contact school, or find more information and useful videos below.