Case study - Avenue Primary

A Green Flag award winning Eco-School for many years, Avenue Primary School in Leicester have led the way when it comes to tackling transport-related air pollution and carbon emissions.  

In 2019, the school participated in Happy Shoes Day, and students were encouraged – where possible – to walk or bike to school. The end result was that a massive 92% of children had walked, biked, scooted, or parked and strode their way to school.  

In eight classes, not a single child had travelled to school by car, and a count on the day found that 193 bikes were parked within school grounds.  

As well as promoting sustainable transport, pupils launched a school-wide campaign to improve air quality around the school. To do so, students donned hi-vis jackets and took to the streets around the school to monitor the numbers of drivers sitting with their engines running. 

They put up signs around the school calling for waiting parents to switch off their engines, worked with Leicester City Council’s Air Quality Officer to write articles about air pollution, and wrote persuasive letters to be sent home to encourage families to work with the school to reduce air pollution.  

Through the Eco-Schools programme, the pupils were able to influence the way families travel to school, significantly benefiting not only students, but teachers, parents, and the wider community.  

And with 8.9 million pupils attending schools across the country, it is clear that how families choose to travel to and from school can have a massive impact on carbon emissions across the country. That’s why we want to make every school an Eco-School, so pupils at every school in the country can be empowered to cut carbon and tackle air pollution in their communities.