STARS is the Transport for London accreditation programme that recognises the activities schools are undertaking to champion walking, wheeling, scooting, skating and cycling. STARS supports pupils’ wellbeing, helps to reduce congestion at the school gates and improves road safety and air quality.
STARS stands for Sustainable Travel: Active, Responsible and Safe. Half of the primary schools in Enfield are currently engaged in the STARS scheme.
There are three levels of accreditation (Gold, Silver and Bronze) that recognise the work schools are doing to encourage pupils, parents and staff to travel by walking, wheeling, scooting, skating, cycling, parking and striding, public transport, and other sustainable ways of travelling.
STARS benefits school communities in many ways, including:
STARS schools see on average a 6% reduction in the number of trips made by car to school, with Gold and Silver accredited schools seeing up to a 12% reduction. In Enfield we have 26 Gold accredited schools and 47 schools overall engaged in STARS, and more on their way.
To gain STARS accreditation schools need to register on the STARS website and undertake a certain number of activities per school year to achieve a Gold, Silver or Bronze level accreditation. Once registered, schools receive support from the Journeys and Places team, and need to add ‘stories’ to the STARS website of activities they have taken part in along with supporting evidence. To progress through accreditation levels, schools must demonstrate a shift away from car use for journeys to and from school, to sustainable forms of travel. To reach Gold, at least 90% of pupils need to be travelling actively.
It is essential for every school and nursery to undertake a ‘hands up’ survey of student and staff travel behaviours. This travel data helps us better understand how staff and pupils are travelling to and from school and identify areas for improvement.
The data from our STARS schools show us that in the school year of 2021/22, 70.9% of pupils travelled to school by active travel, and 17.8% travelled by car.
There are many ways in which schools can promote sustainable travel to students, staff, parents and the wider school community, including London-wide and national events, training, school events and leadership opportunities.
If you work at an Enfield school and would like to start your STARS journey, please contact us and we can help you get going.
