Walk to School

We have a big ambition:
every child that can, walks to school.

A generation ago, 70% of us walked to school – now it’s less than half.

Let's reverse this decline.

20-24 May is Walk to School Week!

Join the fun as Living Streets celebrates its 90th anniversary.

Feel the benefits, and campaign for our streets to be made safer and easier for children to Walk to School every week of the year.

Walk to School Week

We want children to be energised and empowered.

We want children and parents to make walking to school their natural choice.

And we need your help.

Find out about the ways Living Streets gets children walking more, the fab tools we provide for teachers and parents, and our groundbreaking campaigning work that all underpin our vision of a new walking generation.

Graphic of parent walking with two children

Primary schools

Secondary schools

Early years

Parents and carers

If you’re a parent or carer, check out our ideas for ways to get you and your family walking.

And download our Family Walk to School Kit, designed to help parents, carers and children make the walk to school work for them.

How you can help

Download our Family Walk To School Kit – PDF

Useful links

Shop and resources

Contact our team

Dates for the diary

Why the Walk to School matters

Happier children

It’s been proven that children who do some form of exercise, especially a walk before school, do better in class because they arrive refreshed, fit and ready to learn.

Less congestion

During morning peak traffic times, one in five cars on the road are taking children school, contributing to congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions.

Cleaner air

The school run alone is responsible for generating two million tonnes of CO₂ per year. Imagine what we could achieve if we began converting some of these rides to strides?

Walk to school: our policy

2 in 5 parents of primary school children say they worry about pollution levels around their school

We need urgent action on air pollution to protect and promote the Walk to School. And yet, at the same time, the Walk to School could play such a big part in improving our air quality.

Our report Swap The School Run For The School Walk lays out 21 recommendations for decision-makers at all levels to enable more children to walk to and from school.

Download our School Run report - pdf