Active Travel
Active travel is about making journeys in physically active ways like walking, cycling and wheeling. Active travel is beneficial for health and wellbeing, the wider environment and the economy. Our Council has an Active Travel Strategy which aims to promote and support the choice to use active travel including for going to school, work, or other trips. The Active Travel Strategy has a number of strategic objectives and outcomes linked to schools. You can find out more about Active Travel and the Council’s Active Travel Strategy online: Active travel | Dumfries and Galloway Council (dumgal.gov.uk)
We work in partnership with organisations to deliver projects related to active travel, physical activity, awareness, and training in schools.
Click the icons below to find out more about these programmes.
Throughout the year there are a range of Active Travel events/initiatives run in schools to promote and encourage young people to actively travel to school. Below is a list of this schools years planned active travel events and the relevant dates. Click on the title of each activity (highlighted in blue) for more details on the event.
Calendar of Events for Academic Year 2025-26
Hands Up Scotland Survey (Sustrans) 8 to 12 September 2025
Road Safety Week 16 to 22 November 2025
Leg it to Lapland (I Bike) 1 to 5 December 2025
Big Walk and Wheel (Sustrans) Dates TBC
Spring Walk to School Week (Living Streets) May (Dates TBC)
Resources for schools
Clean Air Toolkit
Sustrans have developed a Teacher Toolkit for schools to use on air pollution and clean air. In the resource you’ll find everything you need to run a clean air campaign, including a set of off the shelf resources (which link to the Curriculum for Excellence) to help children, their families and staff learn about air quality and encourage simple actions to help to reduce air pollution in their vicinity. The Toolkit is available at: DG Clean Air Schools Teachers Toolkit (Primary)
There is also a clean air toolkit for secondary schools which consists of up to five sessions and has been formed to tie in with the CREST award scheme but lessons can be used separately of that too. This toolkit has a more scientific focus than the primary resources: Clean Air Toolkit (Secondary)
Big Street Survey
Big Street Survey is a free curriculum resource enabling pupils to investigate the area around their school and create a manifesto on how to make their streets safer and greener. Working both inside and outside the classroom, pupils explore what they like and dislike about their neighbourhood. They then develop their manifesto which can be used to lobby decision-makers and elected representatives at national and local level to make their changes happen. You can find out more and find all of the resources your school needs to take part at: Big Street Survey – Sustrans.org.uk
Park and Stride Guide
A useful guide on how to set up a Park and Stride for your school is available from Living Streets at: Park and stride print
Walking, scooting and bike buses
Walking, scooting and bike buses are a great way of enabling an active school run, with pupils arriving at school alert and ready to start learning. If you’re interested in getting one of these going at your school, you can find out more at: https:// www.sustrans.org.uk/campaigns/fridedays-bike-bus/
