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Pool Business and Enterprise College

 

 We are Troon, Jade, Grant, Charlotte, Delane, Robyn, Alys and Charleigh from Pool Business and Enterprise College all the way down in beautiful Cornwall!

We are part of the ‘Green Team’ at Pool College which is how we got involved with this campaign so we are all interested in saving the environment, making the streets cleaner and getting more people to walk to school.
 
Some of us have walked to school all our lives come rain or shine and know what we would like to improve about the journey to school, for others of us this is a great opportunity to change the way we travel to school.   
 
We also want to make our local environment better for the next generation and our younger siblings. We think it’s a cool idea and are looking forward to getting started with our campaign and making a difference!
 
 
Mission 1 and Wild Card 1

On the 1st April 2009 the green team met up with Helen ( Senior School Travel Plan Officer at the Transportation Service of Cornwall County Council) and we talked about the issue of walking to school. We completed Wildcard 1 which was to find out what the important issues are for us when it comes to walking to school. We highlighted the following problems:

·         Dog Mess on the streets
·         Health
·         Environment
·         Safety/dark streets
We had our photo taken and were given our Step-Up T-shirts. We also wrote our mission statement.


Mission 2 – everyone contributed to the ideas on this table!!!

 
We decided on important issues using photographs (wildcard 1): 
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Dark Streets
  • Dog Mess on paths
  • Safety
We created tree diagram with problems and ideas for action:
 
To do this we looked at maps of the local area as well as discussing our own experience of walking to school.

Barriers to Walking
We could overcome this barrier if we…
Risk of accidents/getting killed
  • Campaigned for a 20mph speed limit outside school
  • Create hard-hitting video to send to council
  • More signs to remind people of the speed limit
No Pavement up to Tolvaddon
  • Campaign for a pavement. Ask Mr Mitchell to put this in our Travel Plan
Safety
  • Walking in Groups – raise awareness of this
  • Reflectors – encourage pupils to wear them and write to governors to allow as part of school uniform.
  • Campaign for better lighting
General awareness raising – do people know it’s good to walk?
  • Green Team Sticker to stick on products in Canteen
  • Free drinks and food for walkers
  • Reflectors for walkers
  • Mascot – Mr Creeper in a frog suit
  • Award merits for walking
  • Assemblies
  • Step-up card to be clipped to obtain rewards
  • Make a song or a DVD to get more people interested
  • Poster campaign
Not a barrier but health was important issue identified
  • Pedometers campaign
  • Posters to highlight health benefits
Dog Mess
  • Poster Campaign
  • Ad in local paper?
  • Give flyers to dog-walkers during W2SW


Mission 3

 
The Green Team carried out a survey to find out how many people walk to school and how many people don’t. Most people come to school by car meaning more trffic and more danger for those who walk. Also carbon emissions are polluting the atmosphere.
 
Approximately 86 people never walk to school out of 427 people including people who come by bus. But approximately 103 people walk for 15 – 30 minutes a day out of 415 and 224 people walk everyday out of 427 people.
 
Our goal is make more people walk so there are fewer carbon emissions from those who come by car.
 
Troon and Jade

Mission 4:

We had to pick a group, then each group worked on one of our aims. Our aims are:
 
  • Tackling the dog mess issue
  • Raise general awareness and get more people walking to school
  • Increase road safety awareness especially when it is dark
  • Investigate putting in a pavement from the school to Tolvaddon
We decided what we wanted to do for our aim; posters, diagrams, letters etc…
We had to write the aim, the actions and when we will do this and who will do this.
 
See our action plan for more information.
 
Robyn and Charleigh

 
February 2010
 
Hi!!!!
Yesterday, Alys and I made an amusing start on our posters. These were to draw attention to the amounts of dog MESS on the pavements.
Reuben and Tom are also looking at using some of our budget money to get some reflectors. These could be given out, or used as rewards for walking to school.
Grant wants the power to write out merits for walking!!!
 
 
Alys and Delane :D


July 2010. We've updated our action plan:

Aim
Action
When will we do this?
Who is going to do it?/detail
To raise awareness of all the Green Team’s Step-Up campaigning
1.      Write article for Pool Post with overview of all initiatives for the coming year.
2.      Update Step Up Blog
Asap
 
as and when an initiative is started
Airon
 
All
 
Raise general awareness for walking to school
 
 
 
 
 
 
1.      award merits to walkers
2.      Make posters with blog address on
3.      Write a leaflet for new starters promoting walking, cycling and bus-use
September 2010
Grant, Shannon and Charlotte
·        write letter to go out in registers to explain how the scheme will work
·        Provide a merit chart which can be tallied at the end of each month
·        advertise scheme in Pool Post
·        book a 5 minute slot in assembly to advertise/explain scheme
·        design, print and laminate poster to advertise scheme
·        Put on website
·        remember to put Step Up logo on posters and other information such as charts, letters etc. (these are all on your memory stick in the Step Up Box)
 
Tackle dog mess issue
 
 
 
1.      Campaign for more dog mess bins on main routes to school
2.      Contact Council Dog Wardens for this
3.      Poster Campaign on main routes
4.      Contact press
Summer 2010
Alys, Delane, Matt and Airon
·        Write to Dog warden to request more bins and to explain your poster campaign and ask what the maximum fine is. Could you use their logo on your campaign? There address will be on the CC website
·        Display posters in local shops and on main routes to school. Include the Step Up and school logo.
·        Contact Press to explain what you are doing. Take photographs as evidence and for the Blog
Increase Road Safety awareness at school especially when dark
1.      give out reflective stuff (keyrings, stickers, wristbands etc)(silver for yr9-10 boys)
2.      Write to Mrs Hill (Head) to allow and encourage reflectors as part of school uniform.
3.      Ask SLT to incorporate reflective element to item of school uniform
 
November 2009 – February 2010
Reuben, Charlton and Matt
·        Research, cost and order reflective snap bands possibly for Year 7 only.
·        Advertise campaign in Pool Post, on website
·        Take suggestion of incorporating this into school uniform to SLT
Investigate Pavement to Tolvaddon
 
1.      Ask Mr Mitchell to put this request   into the School Travel Plan update for 2010/11
2.      Write to the Governors to ask what has been decided re Cornwall College routes
3.      Write to local councillor re route from Tolvaddon
February 2011
Divide tasks up as appropriate in February

Watch this space to see what we get up to next...

Meanwhile, why not visit Poole College's website here:  http://pbec.pool.cornwall.sch.uk/ 

 

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