Schools travel route plan fear

Seven still to complete blueprints

Work aimed at making journeys to and from schools safer appears to have been downgraded by Stirling Council.

Tory councillors have questioned why officials had described school travel planning as “no longer a priority” despite several schools still not having completed School Travel Plans (STPs) before an end of June deadline.

At the latest meeting of the council’s children and young people committee, officials said the school travel planning coordinator had left the council in December last year and the post was not being replaced as “school travel planning is no longer a priority for Stirling Council”.

They said the service would continue to work with schools and nurseries to support development of robust plans.

To date a total of 51 STPs have been signed off and submitted, but seven establishments are still working to complete and submit them by the deadline.

A School Travel Plan is a document that identifies local issues relating to school/ nursery journeys.

It sets out a strategy of agreed aims and identifies a package of measures designed to promote sustainable travel choices for pupils, parents, staff and visitors.

They are largely based on consultation with pupils, staff and parents, and developed in partnership with the wider community.

Benefits are expected to include: safety on the route to school; encouraging more walking and cycling to school; promoting health, fitness and wellbeing; encouraging positive links with parents, school boards and the wider community; promoting road safety and increased road awareness opportunities for children; and enabling schools and nurseries to access funding and support for safety improvements.

Asked by Provost Christine Simpson whether Allan’s Primary was one of those still to submit an STP, service manager Judy Edwards said: “Allan’s is well underway in developing a plan.

“We don’t have a schools travel plan officer at the moment but we are continuing to work with schools to support them in order that everyone does have a plan before the end of June.”

Trossachs and Teith councillor Martin Earl said: “I find the narrative quite surprising when it talks about it no longer being a priority for Stirling Council.

“I’d expect that situation to be in place once every school has an STP and not before so I’m somewhat concerned about that.”

Officials said, however: “What will happen beyond June 2018...is that STPs are reviewed by schools on a regular basis and it becomes part of the suite of school guidance policies.

“We intend to issue schools with guidance around that so they are no longer driven by the central team. It will no longer be part of our work but part of the school’s work.

“It’s still in our plans up to June 2018 and we are still working on it and have resource within the team. What we have tried to do is build a sustainable model.

“We are trying to build a culture of self evaluation where accountability is held at school level.” Council leader Scott Farmer said random sample audits would be done across the schools to ensure there was no lapse in the policy.