Communicating with parents/carers

About this activity

Suitable for all schools and nurseries.

NB: We’re bringing together all the TfL education programmes, including STARS, under one exciting new umbrella programme called TfL Travel for Life. They will be the same great programmes, but with a new name and a new look, easier online process and dedicated support team. STARS for primary schools will be renamed TfL Explorers. STARS for secondary schools will be renamed TfL Pioneers.

Parents and carers play a key role in influencing how children travel - both to school and in their spare time. It is therefore very important to engage parents and carers in your nursery or school’s travel policies and campaigns throughout children's time with you.

Encourage prospective, new and existing parents and carers to speak to children about the benefits of active travel to their health and wellbeing. Ask them to make decisions together around how they get to school in the most safe and sustainable way. 

For future and new pupils’ parents/carers you could:

• Include information about travel policies and campaigns in your school’s prospectus
• Talk to parents and carers at open evenings about your school or nursery’s travel policies and ask your TfL Explorers Ambassadors to present their experiences of active travel and its importance

For current pupils’ parents/carers you could:

• Keep them up to date with all travel and transport issues through the school’s website, newsletter (see examples in Resources), parents' evenings and a physical and online travel notice board
• Feature case studies of pupils and their families who have adapted their journeys to be more active in your school’s newsletter or on its website
• Include tops tips for making the school journey more active and safer in your regular communications
• Work with your TfL Explorers Ambassador to produce a video or song to present to parents/carers on the theme of active, sustainable travel (find out about seeking funding for travel projects). Watch Cambridgeshire County Council's road safety video as an example of this kind of activity 
• Endorse car sharing and promote its benefits
• Invite parents/carers to any active travel events such as bikers’ breakfasts or bling your bike or ask them to be involved as a patrol officer in a zigzag line enforcement campaign, for example
• Offer cycle training for adults sessions at your school

How to evidence your activity

• Record any feedback from parents and carers
• Sign in to Tfl Travel for Life to tell your story. Explain your activity and include feedback from parents and carers, any promotional materials you produced, links to webpages and copies of newsletters