Maes Derw, a pupil referral unit in Swansea, has been leading the way on building a culture of travelling actively to school. Pupils, staff and the wider school community are reaping the rewards of working with the Welsh Government-funded Active Journeys programme.
Maes Derw are the first pupil referral unit in Wales to achieve the Bronze and Silver Active Travel School Awards. Credit: Martin Thomas.
Maes Derw is a registered pupil referral unit (PRU), a type of school that’s established and maintained by a local authority for students who for various circumstances are unable to attend mainstream schools.
Located on the outskirts of Swansea, the school supports pupils’ individual needs to help them reintegrate into mainstream schools or transition to further education or employment.
Many pupils face anxiety and mental health challenges, often lacking the confidence to ride bikes, which is where the Welsh Government-funded Active Journeys programme was able to help.
Most pupils are transported by taxis and parents, but the school wanted to develop independence, resilience and promote health and well-being amongst its pupils and saw active travel as a way to do that.
Since joining the programme, Maes Derw have achieved their Bronze and Silver Active Travel School Award, the first PRU to achieve this.
Understanding the needs of the school and working together to create a plan
Given the nature and catchment area of the school, options for modal shift – that is, a change in how we choose to travel – were limited.
As a result, an active travel school plan (ATSP) had to focus on activities within the school gates that encouraged active travel among the pupils, while placing stronger emphasis on staff to model healthy, sustainable travel practices.
Key components of the plan included improving bicycle and scooter storage, delivering active travel awareness workshops, and exploring alternative transport options.
Some of the actions included offering a walking bus to school for pupils, which now runs on a weekly basis, helping to make pupils more active but also more road aware and independent.
The plan’s actions also included ensuring all pupils were given the opportunity to learn to ride a bike and providing more cycling opportunities, with the school’s bike fleet made available during break times for practice.
“Staff cycling has been promoted, with the number of us cycling to work at least once a week increasing from one to five,” said Martin Thomas, Maes Derw’s Outdoor Education Co-ordinator, about the impact of the Active Journeys programme.
“A number of pupils have gone from being completely unable to ride a bike to riding independently.”
Work of the programme benefitting the wider school community
A key element of the plan involved upskilling both pupils and staff in maintaining the school’s bike fleet.
This not only equipped them with new and valuable skills that they could take home with them but also fostered a sense of pride and ownership in keeping the bikes in good condition.
As a direct result of completing their active travel school plan, with the support of the local Active Journeys Officer, the wider school community has benefited from the connections established through the work completed.
Notably, the local college, having heard about the pupils’ enthusiasm, is now planning to create a direct training pathway.
This pathway will allow older pupils to learn cycle maintenance through national standards, providing them with potential valuable employment opportunities and transferrable skills for the future.
Looking forward, the pupils and staff are keen to be involved in the maintenance of the local National Cycle Network route, with a view to tying this and waymarking into their Duke of Edinburgh activities.
There are also more plans to continue to provide training to the school’s staff, focusing on cycle maintenance skills and leading rides.
