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Modeshift STARS

Swindon Borough Council urges all schools in Swindon to complete and implement an online School Travel Plan through Modeshift STARS Education.  A travel plan is a strategic document that sets out how a school will promote sustainable travel.  The Modeshift STARS online platform gives schools a simple to follow template for their travel plan.

Modeshift STARS scheme includes the Government endorsed national schools awards scheme that has been established to recognise schools that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel. The scheme encourages schools across the country to join in a major effort to increase levels of sustainable and active travel in order to improve the health and well-being of children and young people.

The STARS scheme has five levels of accreditation and is a great scheme through which pupils, teachers, parents and community stakeholders can work together to make the school run healthier and safer for all.

  • Green accreditation (Approved travel plan) – Green is the simplest level to achieve, and shows that a travel plan has been approved as a starting point where the school can make plans of actions it is going to take over the coming term(s)
  • Bronze accreditation (Good travel plan) – As the initiatives and actions start happening, and the school provides evidence, the school can achieve bronze for its good travel plan.
  • Silver accreditation – (Very good travel plan) As more actions are achieved, the silver level denotes a very good travel plan.
  • Gold accreditation – (Excellent travel plan) This level shows that a school has gone over and above, and is demonstrating reduced journeys to school by car as well as partnership working in the community. A gold travel plan is an excellent travel plan!
  • Platinum accreditation – (Outstanding travel plan) Where a travel plan can demonstrate a consistent increase in active travel to school over a four-year period, this is considered outstanding.

 

Benefits of school travel plans

  • Healthier pupils – by encouraging active, healthy lifestyles for young people through more walking and cycling.
  • Safer pupils – identifying issues and improving the quality of the environment around your school.
  • Involving the whole school community – children, parents and teachers working together to make a difference.
  • School Travel Plan – automatic generation of a new School Travel Plan which will deliver significant time and costs savings.
  • National Accreditation – you will receive the Modeshift STARS plaque, certificate and use of the nationally recognised logo
  • The National STARS School Travel Awards – a chance to be considered for the National STARS School Travel Awards.
  • Changing behaviour – STARS will provide you with the tools to reduce car use and increase the number of children walking, cycling and using public transport on the journey to and from school.
  • Access to discounts, practical support and small pots of funding – additional support is available from the Council to help schools promote sustainable travel to school.

There is no cost for any Swindon school to sign up to Modeshift Stars.

Accreditation

Modeshift STARS offers a nationally recognised system of accreditation.  There are five levels (Green, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum). The school receives certificates and plaques when they achieve a new accreditation or reach the next level.  Green is the simplest level to achieve and the Council requires new schools to achieve this as a requirement of their planning permission, or receipt of funding or assistance.

Photo of the Modeshift school trophies

Photo of the Modeshift school trophies

Training

Swindon Borough Council and Modeshift run regular “Getting started on your travel plan” webinars – Contact stars@swindon.gov.uk if you would like to be invited to the next one.

More details

There are PDFs below that you can download to read more about the system, and take a look at www.modeshiftstars.org.

Free support is available from the Council’s Travel Plan Officer who can deliver training sessions, offer advice on how to mitigate school travel and transport issues through soft measures (behaviour change) and support schools through the Modeshift STARS accreditation application process.

Please contact Travel Plan Officer, with any queries: stars@swindon.gov.uk

Next Steps

Ready to sign up and get going?  Email SBC’s travel plan coordinator to organise a login to the site. There is further support, guidance and resources on the STARS site once you are a registered user.

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