Clean Air Scooter Challenge
The Clean Air Scooter Challenge takes place in June each year to support National Clean Air Day.
The event provides schools with a great opportunity to encourage their pupils to scoot and travel actively throughout the week. As the challenge encompasses Clean Air Day there is a focus on air quality and the benefits of scooting and active travel. Participating schools also have the chance to win some amazing prizes!
Why scoot? Why not?! Scooting is fun and great exercise. Plus, for those who live too far to scoot all the way to school, scooters are compact enough to fit in the car. This allows parents to park 5-10 minutes away from the school site so children can Scoot from the Boot.
School competition 2024
The last Clean Air Scooter Challenge took place from Monday 17 to Friday 21 June 2024. All schools taking part were invited to enter the 'Scooter Scrapbook' competition by recording how they promoted the event and encouraged pupils to scoot as often as possible.
There were many impressive entries which demonstrated a range of promotional initiatives, fun activities and lots of scooting!!
We are now delighted to announce our winner and runners-up:
Competition winner: The Knights Enham Schools, Andover
The Knights Enham Schools incorporated the Scooter Challenge with the school's Sports Week while focusing on their values of Independence and Resilience. The schools saw an increase in the number of children scooting as the week progressed and continued into the following week with discussions around the positive impact of the Challenge on wellbeing and the environment. Some of the initiatives enjoyed by the pupils included, scooting on the cycle track at breaktimes, decorating their scooters and holding a Scooter House Competition organised by the pupil Sports Leaders.
Competition runners-up: Rownhams St John’s Primary School, Rownhams and Crofton Hammond Infant School, Fareham.
Rownhams St John's Primary School did lots of promotion for the Scooter Challenge, particularly encouraging those who live further away to 'Scoot from the Boot'. This proved very successful, with the majority of car users parking further away from school and parents being very positive about this initiative. Teachers gave children opportunities to practice scooting skills during the school day and by the end of the week more and more children were scooting.
The Challenge week at Crofton Hammond Infant School was mostly pupil-led. The main focus of the week, on Clean Air Day, was a Scooter Fun Day when children spent time scooting in the playground during the day, which included a course to scoot around. The Scooter Fun Day was promoted with posters designed by the children and on the day they saw a big difference with over 140 scooters in school.
The winning school will now choose from a Scooterpod, a set of scooters with helmets or scooter training equipment for their prize. The runners-up will have a choice of prizes including scooter locks or a scooter with a helmet.
Other useful scooting information and resources
Air Quality – Resources and information about air quality and The Clean Air project.
A Wild Walk to School - For KS1, this book focuses on the air quality benefits of travelling actively to school. The story demonstrates an active journey to school enables time to be spent looking at nature.
A Right Royal Adventure - For KS2, the story focuses on the history of air quality and how we can influence the future.
My Journey Scooting Film - Meet Baron Karl Von Drais de Saurbrun, who invented the 'street walker' in 1817. He speaks on the importance of making a positive environmental difference in your local community and how greater exercise and active travel can benefit all.
Scooter Training – The Scooter Challenge could be a great opportunity to do some scooter training in school, try out these in-school scooter training guidelines for teachers.
Scooting to School – Includes some top tips to share with pupils for scooting safely.
Start Scooting – A great information sheet from Sustrans about getting going with scooting.