Harrow schools are leading the way in London when it comes to greener, healthier travel.
As the new school term kicks off, nearly half of Harrow schools have been recognised by Transport for London’s Travel for Life programme - which celebrates schools that make walking, cycling, and other active travel part of everyday life.
Out of 36 accredited schools, an impressive 27 schools earned the top Gold award, with a further 9 earning Silver or Bronze. These awards reflect the hard work of teachers, pupils, and families who are choosing cleaner, safer ways to get to school.
Grange Primary School is one of the latest to strike Gold. From scooter training and bike lessons to a daily mile track and a popular walking bus, the school is helping children stay active, enjoy the outdoors, and build healthy habits.
Cllr Hitesh Karia, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said:
“This is a fantastic achievement made possible by joint work between our schools and our travel planning team. Thank you to everyone - teachers, parents, and pupils - who are choosing to leave the car behind and walk, scoot or cycle instead.
“Sustainable travel is a good way to help children stay active. Our schools are setting a brilliant example and I’d like to congratulate all our schools who have been recognised for championing active travel.”
The achievement marks a significant milestone in the council’s ongoing commitment to creating a cleaner, safer, and healthier borough.
Through its dedicated School Travel Planning Team, the council has been actively working with local schools to encourage more sustainable travel choices with families and staff.
Recent initiatives include the inaugural Wheely Great Treasure Trail during Bike Week, encouraging pupils to take up cycling; Walk to School Week; and visits from Hip Hoppy the Hare, the borough’s sustainable travel mascot, who inspired children to think about environmentally-friendly travel.
Headteacher of Grange Primary School, Daniel Kerbel said:
“It is wonderful to see children active and moving in a healthy way.
“We would love to do even more, as we are competing with car travel and screen addiction.
“The gold accreditation has really inspired us as a school, and we feel energised to continue promoting active travel. We are lucky to live in London borough with such a fantastic public transport system and beautiful spaces to walk.”
These efforts reflect the council’s strategic approach to embedding sustainability and safety into everyday life, starting with the youngest members of the community.
The TfLTravel for Life scheme awards schools gold, silver or bronze status for the number of activities they deliver to promote active and sustainable travel. Schools work towards: reducing congestion, improving road safety, and supporting health and wellbeing.
TfL's Chief Health, Safety & Environment Officer, Lilli Matson, said:
“TfL Travel for Life has gone from strength to strength, empowering children to make safer and healthier choices about how they travel. We’ve achieved a major milestone of 1,000 London schools at Gold accreditation, but we would love to see every school in the capital benefit from the fun and engaging programme and the benefits it brings for health and air quality. If your school isn’t involved yet with TfL Travel for Life, find out more by visiting our website or getting in touch - this could be the start of your school’s journey to a safer and more sustainable future.”