MEDWAY ST PETER'S INFANT SCHOOL LEADS THE WAY WITH WALKING AND WHEELING

Medway Council is stepping up to its commitment to healthier, more sustainable school journeys by funding more than twenty schools to take part in WOW - the walk to school challenge.

WOW is an award-winning initiative that encourages families to walk, wheel, cycle, scoot or park and stride, helping children develop active habits while easing congestion around school gates. This growing partnership has led to impressive results across the region, with one Medway school securing a place on the WOW Top Ten leaderboard last autumn.

Following the news that Greenvale Primary School in Medway had come fifth place on the WOW Top Ten challenge national leaderboard, the Council set out to encourage pupils across Medway to take part in WOW. 

LEADING THE REGIONAL LEADERBOARD

In recognition of achieving first place in the Medway leaderboard, St Peter’s Infant School was awarded Living Streets vouchers which it used to purchase Walk to School Week classroom packs which they used alongside Medway Council’s own Walkin’ and Wheelin’ competition, which runs every year. Joanna Worral, Head Teacher at St Peter’s Infant School, explains how WOW has had a positive impact throughout the school community: 

“We have seen pupils persuading their parents to be more active. One parent parks her car away from the school so they can "Park and Stride" meaning the child can earn their WOW badge every month.” 

She went on to describe how teachers are incorporating WOW into their lessons:

“We knew pupils were motivated by the WOW badges and competing with other schools, both locally and nationally. In our Year 2 class, we were able to use this as part of their Maths learning to make links to real-life scenarios, which we know has a positive impact on teaching and learning.”

St Peter’s overall engagement from September 2025 until January 2026 was 79 per cent with active travel equating to 91 per cent of their journeys logged.  Between February and May 2026, engagement has increased to 85 per cent with walking and wheeling rates also increasing to 96 per cent.

Across Medway, the overall percentage of active travel recorded by Medway schools has increased by 4 per cent between February and May 2026. This positive trend has also contributed to a reduction in the number of car journeys.

WIDER IMPACT

Medway Council has recently funded four nursery and pre-school settings to participate in Little Feet, our range of walking activities for children aged 2-5 years old, designed specifically for use in early years settings, further strengthening the council’s commitment to active travel and its partnership with Living Streets.

Medway Council will be continuing to fund WOW at schools across Medway for the next academic year and this will be supported through the revenue funding allocation from Active Travel England.