Greswold Primary is committed to promoting Sustainable Travel across the whole school community, to and from school.  As we are a very large primary school with nearly 700 pupils on roll, Greswold realises that an increased amount of vehicles attending school can lead to long term impacts on pupils, families and local residents alike.  

Therefore, this page contains a number of initiatives we have put in place over the last few years will help alleviate traffic congestion around the local area on school days as well as promoting active and healthy lifestyles. 

Since Greswold expanded as a school in 2016, we have operated a highly effective Walking Bus service which can accommodate up to 35 pupils in the morning and again in the afternoon.  This completely free service enables children to walk to and from school with other Greswold pupils whilst also allowing parents to drop off and collect at a quieter, more convenient location on Wharf Lane.  The service is for children from Year 1 up to year 6.  For more details, pick up an information leaflet outside the school office or click on the PDF file below for an application form. 

** Please note that due to the high volume of demand for this service, priority will be given to those that live further away from school along the route. If you live within the distance between the first ‘bus stop’ at the corner of Lode Lane and Moat Lane, we feel you might be able to accompany your children to school without adding to traffic congestion.**  

Street Tag is a FREE fun, family-friendly game that enables players to collect points by using their smartphones to scan virtual tags. The tags will be found in various locations across the borough including parks and open spaces, libraries, community and leisure centres and other areas of interest.  The app will log any activity completed by participants, and it will show on a range of competitive community and school leader boards.  

Schools join the Schools Leader Board and compete against each other, while residents in small groups of six or less can compete against other families or groups on a Community Leader Board. 

Leader boards will be active for 8 weeks and the top teams will win fantastic prizes. All the information you need is contained within the PDF file below. 

The Living Streets' WOW Travel Tracker is an easy, engaging and fun way for pupils to record how they get to school each day and is something which Greswold buys into and utilises to promote active and healthy lifestyles and to alleviate traffic congestion around school and the local area.  

Children are allocated a special symbol by their class teacher at the start of every academic year and once children start using the Travel Tracker outside of school to log their daily journeys, they can win monthly WOW badges.  They only have to log an active journey once a week to be eligible for an award.  However, children can log their travel everyday as well.  Currently, school's engagement is around 23% and we are actively trying to increase this so that at least a third of the pupil population regularly use the Travel Tracker, thus helping to alleviate traffic congestion around school and making travelling to school safer for children and families. 

Below are instructions on how to use the Living Streets Travel Tracker to log your active journeys to school and earn WOW badges for your child(ren).

Each academic year, Greswold devises a Travel Plan. It is devised in collaboration with parents, residents and staff alike and details school's aims in ensuring pupils' journeys to and from school are safe, as well as promoting active and healthy lifestyles for pupils and their families.  The 2023-24 plan for Greswold Primary is below. Please take a minute to read the plan so that you too can work in partnership with Greswold to instigate positive change.  

Open the Family Walk to School kit document below for step-by-step tips for stress free walks and safer streets - all sort of ideas for all kinds of families. 

To help families plan for walking, scooting or cycling to and from school, below is a plan of public footpaths around school and the local area.  These paths and alleyways could make your journeys quicker, easier and safer.  You might not even know some of these routes actually exist! 

As a very large primary school, we realise that some of our families have to travel a considerable distance to Greswold each day.  Inevitably, this may mean having to use a family vehicle.  However, to help make part of your journey active and healthy, below is a 5-minute Walking Bubble map which can help families to park their vehicles in a location which still helps their children walk to school.  This could even mean they still qualify for a WOW badge using the Living Streets Travel Tracker! 

Scooter pods at both pedestrian entrances to encourage families to scoot to school.  There are spaces for up to 80 scooters in total. 

An increasing number of bike stands to promote healthier transport options.  Currently, there are about 25 stands in two different locations accommodating up to 50 bicycles.  

Cycling is a fun, healthy and sustainable way to travel.  Cycle hire makes travelling around the region super flexible for you.  Get your first ride free by clicking on this link for details:  https://www.wmcyclehire.co.uk/ 

This next link is perfect for planning a bike ride with your family.  It contains routes ranging from 3 to 30 miles long situated within Solihull and Birmingham: https:  //letsride.co.uk/routes/search?location=B91+2AZ&lat=52.4236245&lng=-1.7817368&radius=10&distance_min=0&distance_max=40 

Park and Stride venues within our local community for Greswold families to park and walk the rest of the way to school.  Currently, we have links with two locations.  St Helen's Church on St Helen's Road is a ten minute walk (left hand route below) which passes through a beautiful wooded area.  The Hub on Hermitage Road allows access from the other end of school across Lode Lane and through a small park taking about five minutes.  To use either venue, families need to send their car registration details to school via email to avoid parking meter charges.  Using these convenient locations will help to alleviate traffic congestion around school thus further safeguarding the pupils, their families and members of the local community.  

Staggered school start and finish times to help alleviate traffic congestion.  Currently, Nursery starts at 8:30am, KS2 at 8:30am and KS1 and Reception from 8:40-8:50am.  In the afternoons, KS2 finish at 3:10pm, KS1 and Reception at 3:20pm and Nursery at 3:30pm.  Please note that some of the these times have been temporarily altered during the 20-21 academic year.    

Regular liaison with Solihull Highways Agency to discuss, assess and implement new initiatives.  Approved proposals by the agency previously have included the refreshing of zig-zag lines, the installation of larger no parking signs around the zig-zags and the introduction of traffic awareness stickers on refuse bins.  There will also be assessments made for future H markings. 

Bikeability, Cycling Fun and Scootability programmes run in school for children in all year groups to promote healthier but safe ways to travel to and from school. 

We have always endeavoured to work in partnership with our local residents, those of Buryfield Road, Ferndown Road and Links Drive.  As a school, we would like to encourage everyone to be aware of their personal cirumstances.

Therefore:

* Please park thoughtfully on the roads around school ensuring that you don't block any H markings or residents' drives.  Also refrain from dropping off or parking on double yellow lines unless you have a Blue Badge and the exisiting disabled spaces are full. 

* Always turn off your car engines if you're waiting for someone to return to help reduce air pollution.

* Please, please, please ensure that rubbish is disposed of correctly as there have been increasing amounts of litter found on pavements and residents' gardens of surrounding roads after pick up time. 

Solihull Council Traffic Officers and our local PCSO are sometimes available to reinforce expectations and legalities if necessary.