Walk to School in Wales

We want every child who can walk to school to be able to do so on safe and welcoming streets. 

Pupils in Wales can benefit from getting active on the school run with WOW – our year-round walk to school challenge – in Welsh and English.

We can also help implement School Streets – where streets are closed to traffic at drop-off and pick up times. 

WOW – our walk to school challenge sees pupils record how they get to school using the interactive WOW Travel Tracker with those who walk, wheel, cycle, scoot or ‘Park and Stride’ to school being awarded a monthly WOW badge.

Thousands of children across Wales are enjoying the benefits of walking to school with WOW thanks to support from the Welsh Government. Over the next two years, we are engaging with 170 primary schools and 42 secondary schools in our walk to school programme. 

You can watch our presentation about WOW in Wales here.

What are the streets like around your local school at drop-off and pick-up times? The typical answer is congested, busy and dangerous!

Imagine if, instead, the street was open and welcoming with plenty of space for children to walk, scoot and cycle safely when they arrive each morning!

In Wales, we are aiming to get more schools across the country to implement School Streets. These schemes – where cars are prevented from going up to the school gates at drop off and pick up times – have been successfully trialled in towns and cities in the UK.

Find out what the pupils at Peter Lea Primary School think about the initiative.