Bourn Travelling to School
Road Safety
Year 5 Road Safety Monitors stand at key locations at the start of the school day. They take note of anything that concerns them and they feed this back to children and parents via the Headteacher’s newsletter.
They have made posters to encourage parents and children to follow Rules of the Road below:
- Do not park on double yellow lines, zig zag lines, in the bus bay and do not block driveways – even for a short time.
- Drive slowly – the speed limit in all the roads around school is 20 mph, but this is still too fast for blind bends and busy areas.
- Cross at the zig zag lines opposite the end of the school drive as this has the greatest visibility, Please do not cross opposite the bus bay as this is near a blind bend.
- Please actively teach your child how to cross the road safely and model this yourself.
By Car
We encourage all parents to walk or cycle with their children wherever possible as the roads around school are narrow, there is only one pavement, there are blind bends and there is limited parking so can be very dangerous at drop off and pick up time.
If you need to drive, you are welcome to park in the car park at Manor Farm and walk up Riddy Lane. If you drive on the roads around school, we operate an informal one way system - please see the map below and follow the route shown. This system works very successfully and the School appreciates parents continuing to follow this.
By Bike or Scooter
Cycling to school is healthy and environmentally friendly and we encourage children to cycle or scooter where they can. It is essential that all children wear cycle helmet when cycling, and is ideal for scooters as well.
Please can all children (including pre-school siblings) and adults get off their bikes or scooters at the school gates and walk them up to the bike sheds where they can be left for the day. The bike shed is of course unsupervised during the school day and therefore bicycles and scooters are left there at their own risk and should be locked.
Cycling or riding a scooter is not allowed on the school grounds as this creates hazards for others around.
Golden rules for buying a cycling helmet
The recommendations on the British Cycling website regarding purchasing a helmet are outlined below:
“If you’re buying a helmet here are some golden rules:
- Make sure that your helmet has a CE sticker on the inside and complies with Euro standard EN1078.
- Make sure your helmet fits correctly – always try before you buy and go to a reputable bike shop that is willing to spend time with you to select the right size, shape and style for you.
- Buy a helmet that you look and feel good in – you’re more likely to wear it.
- Keep your helmet with your bike so it’s always ready when you are.
- Check your helmet regularly for cracks or other defects.
- If you have a crash and bash your helmet, replace it. Many manufacturers offer a cut price replacement scheme.”
In Key Stage 2, the children undertake a Bikeability programme to teach them safety on the roads.
By Bus
Two dedicated school buses are provided free of charge by the Local Authority for children who live more than 2 miles from the school, as long as Bourn is the ‘designated school’. This means the nearest school, or the school that has been allocated if you have been refused a place at your nearest school.
The buses bring children to school in the morning, where they are met and escorted into school. At the end of the school day, children are taken from their classes and escorted on to the bus.
If your child usually gets the bus, and arrangements change, please inform the office as soon as possible. This avoids us having to contact you to check, which inevitably delays the bus from leaving on time.
If you think you are eligible for a bus pass, please look at the Cambridgeshire County Council to see if your child qualifies for a bus pass and click here to complete an online application form.
Please note that only pupils who have been issued with a bus pass are eligible to travel on the school bus. This includes one-off trips such as going home with a friend at the end of the school day.
If you have any questions or concerns about the bus service, please contact the Social and Education Transport Team at Cambridgeshire County Council on 0345 045 5208 or email them on this address: educationtransportteam@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
