King Alfred’s Academy
DRAFT School Travel Plan
2018
Introduction
School Description
King Alfred’s is part of the Vale Academy Trust, which also includes six local primary schools and Larkmead School, Abingdon. The Academy is significantly larger than most secondary schools, with approximately 1,800 students on roll, 400 of whom are in the sixth form.
From January 2018 the Academy has moved to a two site structure comprising of Centre Site and West Site. West Site accommodates Year 7 and 8 and Centre Site is for students from Year 9 through to Year 13. These sites are approximately a mile apartand staff travel between the sites when teaching across Key Stages.
The proportion of students who are disabled or have special educational needs and are supported by school action is below the national average. There are students and staff with specific travel requirements and the support for both staff and students will be set out in this document.
Academy Day
The Academy Day starts at 8:45am however staff may arrive on Site from 7:00am and students may arrive on site from 8:00am. The Academy Day finishes at 3:15pm, however school buses arrive at 4:20pm on Tuesday and Wednesday (with published exceptions) to facilitate the Elective programme.
Catchment and Location
King Alfred’s has both an urban and rural catchment area. Most students at King Alfred’s live in the town of Wantage and in the adjacent village of Grove. However there are a significant number of students who live in surrounding villages in both Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.
As shown on the map below, both Centre Site and West Site are located within the town of Wantage. Centre Site is located within a short walking distance of the town centre and West Site to the west of Wantage in the direction of East Challow.
Location of Centre Site:
Location of West Site:
Current Situation
King Alfred’s Academy has recently become a two site Academy which impacts on the travel to and from the Academy for all students. The development of this Travel Plan is to provide all stakeholders (students, staff, parents and visitors) of information they can use when planning their journeys.
Travel Issues for King Alfred’s Academy
The travel issues that face King Alfred’s Academy are no different from those that face most other secondary schools in the country. The information in this plan has been carefully put together to try and reduce these issues such as: access t0 sites, congestion in the local community and most importantly the safety of staff and students travelling to and from the Academy.
We have consulted with Oxfordshire County Council(in particular Mark Sutherland and Lee Turner) when producing this Travel Plan and thank them for their valuable input.
Bikeability Programme
King Alfred’sare delighted to have secured funding for very exciting Bikeability Programme and we are working on using this to improve the cycling road safety for students. There are 3 Levels to this programme and we will focus onYear 7- 8 students and will work upwards through the Academy.
The initial response from parents to the Bikeability Programme was very low and we are exploring ways of engaging parents in this free and important road safety programme. This will start with surveying our Year 7 and 8 students on their road safety experience in primary school and building on this within the programme.
We also provide specific road safety information during the ‘Risk and Safety’ Theme Day for year 7 and also discuss road safety as part of our assemblies programme.
Travel Survey
We have researched the travel requirements of staff and students at King Alfred’s Academy and used this information to support out Travel Action Plan.
Travel to and from School / Year 7 / Year 8 / Year 9 / Year 10 / Year 11 / Year 12 / Year 13Walk / 111 / 120 / 120 / 93 / 99 / 55 / 39
School Bus / 71 / 89 / 75 / 78 / 87 / 24 / 12
Cycle / 60 / 75 / 63 / 59 / 48 / 34 / 45
Car / 41 / 39 / 43 / 51 / 40 / 35 / 45
Public Service Bus / 4 / 9 / 5 / 4 / 10 / 3 / 0
Taxi / 5 / 1 / 1 / 0 / 2 / 1 / 0
Travel to and from School / West Site / Centre Site
Walk / 231 / 406
School Bus / 160 / 276
Cycle / 135 / 249
Car / 80 / 214
Public Service Bus / 13 / 22
Taxi / 6 / 4
We are delighted that such a high proportion of our students walk or cycle to and from the Academy. However this highlights the necessity to emphasisethe importance of providing students with road safety guidance and suggested cycle routes.
Objectives and Targets
Since there has been a significant change in the structure of King Alfred’s Academy over the academic year 2017-18, developing a comprehensive School Travel Plan to support the two site structure is essential.
King Alfred’s Academy is committed to:
- Improving the safety of the school journey,
- Reducing the congestion of traffic both immediately outside and within the school,
- Improving the safety of pedestrians within the school site.
The Academy has developed its Travel Plan to address these areas across both West Site and Centre Site.
In addition to the objectives set out above we are also fully committed to encouraging greater use of sustainable methods of travel to and from the Academy. Currently 56% of our students walk or cycle to and from the Academy and a further 26% use a bus. As we transition to our new structure we have set the objective to initially maintain the 82% of students travelling to the Academy via a sustainable method of transport and increase by 5% to 87% by 2020.
We are wholeheartedly committed to improving the road safety and bike training of our students, with the specific objective of delivering road safety as part of our PSHCE programme through the Bikeability Programme, assemblies and Theme Days.
Implementation
The Leadership Team of King Alfred’s Academy will be responsible for implementing this detailed Travel Plan. They will be supported by staff with specific roles within King Alfred’s such the Student Well Being Officer who has led on the detailed cycling information in this document as well as introducing and implementing the Bikeability Programme across the whole Academy.
We are planning to set up a KAA Travel Working Group that will focus on supporting King Alfred’s to achieve the objectives set out in this document. This group will be made up of staff, parents and governors to provide input and support from a range of perspectives and backgrounds.
This Group will be formed early in 2018 with the aim of meeting three times a year to review and develop the King Alfred’s Travel Plan focusing on the objective set out previously.
Please could you contact us via email if you interested in being part of their working group and feel you have the time to commit to support King Alfred’s in delivering its key travel objectives.
Action Plan
School Bus Travel / King Alfred’s Academy will continue to run the same bus services know that we are a two site Academy. The school buses that used to drop-off and pick up from East Site will now do so from Centre Site.Arrival of School Buses at 8:35am
Centre Site then West Site:
- 4/KA02 – East and West Hendred
- ED2907 – Charney Bassett
- Didcot Route 1
- Didcot Route 2
- ED2901 – Kingston Lisle / Westcot
- 4/KA01 – Uffington
- ED2904 – Stanford in the Vale
- KAL/01/UM - Lambourne
Centre Site then West Site:
- ED2901 – Kingston Lisle / Westcot
- 4/KA01 – Uffington
- ED2904 – Stanford in the Vale
- KAL/01/UM - Lambourne
- 4/KA02 – East and West Hendred
- ED2907 – Charney Bassett
- Didcot Route 1
- Didcot Route 2
Supervision of School Bus Travel Students at the End of Academy Day:
Centre Site:
All students travelling in the direction of West Site will be supervised by staff waiting on the 6th Form side of Portway. All students wait inside the gated area, behind the lychgate and will be directed onto buses when they arrive.
All students Year 9 to 13 travelling in the direction to the east of Wantage will be supervised by a member of staff waiting outside the front of the Main Building inside the gated area.
West Site:
All students travelling by school bus will be supervised by staff waiting in the West Hall.
As buses arrive on sites the staff will direct students to the appropriate bus in an orderly fashion to enable them
All staff on Bus Duty will be expected to wear Hi-Viz jackets.
Intersite Buses / King Alfred’s Academy has traditionally run an intersite bus system to support student travel to and from the Academy.
We are continuing to run this service with some clear rules and routines to ensure that this system is managed effectively.
- All students travelling on a school bus intersite will need a specific ‘Intersite Bus Pass’ (please contact the Site Office for an application form)
- We expect the behaviour while waiting for and on the School Bus to be in line with our high expectations of student behaviour otherwise the intersite bus pass will be revoked.
Centre Site:
All Year 7 and 8 students wait behind the walled area of the lychgate for the buses to arrive.
West Site:
All Year 9 to 13 students wait in the West Hall for the buses to arrive.
Using the Intersite Bus System travelling home FROM the Academy
Centre Site:
All intersite bus students wait at the same points as all other bus students.
Staff will be on duty in Hi-Viz jackets supervising the arrival and departure of buses each morning.
Vehicle Access to Centre Site / Car Access to Centre Site:
As parking will be significantly reduced on Centre Site no cars will be allowed on Centre Site apart from King Alfred’s Staff. New road markings provide clear guidance to the pedestrian areas and also zebra crossings to support the pedestrian access across Centre Site.
Access to the Leisure Centre will be via a barrier entry and will only be for use by King Alfred’s Staff and Leisure Centre Staff and Customers. All staff who work on Centre Site all day must park in the Leisure Centre to free up the spaces on Centre Site travelling staff.
No 6th Form students are allowed to park in the Leisure Centre car park or on Centre Site.
Van and Lorry Access to Centre Site:
No van or lorry is allowed on Centre Site except if making a delivery to the site. There is a clearly marked delivery bay to be used by all deliveries for the safety of pedestrians.
Disabled Access to Centre Site:
To facilitate disabled access to Centre Site we have set up an access point to Centre Site via the Beacon Car Park. This has an access gate and also marked disabled spaces to use for drop off. We also have some marked disabled parking bays on Centre Site for staff and visitors with disabilities. Specific arrangements should be made via the King Alfred’s Inclusion Team on Centre Site.
Safety of Portway (No parking, collection or dropping off). / The section of Portway outside Centre Site is an extremely busy and congested road in both the morning and afternoons. In order for all the School Buses to access Portway safely at these peak times we ask that arrangements for dropping and off and collecting your child are away from Portway and in a place that does not cause danger to either drivers or pedestrians.
Students must not be picked up and dropped off from either Portway or the road which accesses the Leisure Centre. This is to maintain the flow of the traffic and for the safety of the students.
Pedestrian Access to Centre Site / We strongly encourage students to walk to and from the Academy and there are multiple entrance and exit points to Centre Site for Pedestrian access, these include:
- Locks Lane Entrance
- Portway Entrance
- Beacon Entrance (designated disabled entrance)
Cycling Around Wantage / Cycling to and from school is strongly encouraged by the Academy. As with any town there are areas that are better suited to cycling than others and so we have published our recommended cycle routes around Wantage.
The main entrance and exit point to Centre Site is via Priory Road and the main entrance and exit point to West Site is via the entrance on Challow Road closest to Warmans Close.
Within the Centre Site Cycling and West Site Cycling sections below we provide further advice on the recommended routes to and from the Academy.
These maps are available as appendices to this document and also on the KAA Website.
Cycling Safety:
We take the safety of our cycling students extremely seriously. As a result, we have specifically recommended routes to and from the Academy and also routes which are not suitable for cycling by King Alfred's students. Portway, the double mini-roundabout between Ham Road and Denchworth Road and the 4-way traffic lights on the A338 are not suitable for cycling under any circumstance.
We strongly recommend that all King Alfred’s students wear a cycle helmet and also have adequate lights when it is dark outside. In a survey, 80% of King Alfred's parents supported the Academy making the wearing cycling helmets compulsory and so this is an area we will be investigating further with the KA Travel Working Group.
Cyclist Access to Centre Site / Cycling to and from Centre Site:
The recommended cycling routes are as follows:
From the direction of Locks Lane/ Priory Road students need to dismount their bikes at the junction of Locks Lane and Priory Road and walk their bikes into Centre Site on the left-hand side of the traffic ramp. If Sixth Form students are using this route they must walk their bikes through Centre Site and not use Priory Road to get to Portway.
From the direction of Newbury Street students need to dismount at the pelican crossing towards The Royal Oak Inn and then take Church Street, Priory Road and then dismount at the junction with Locks Lane and walk their bikes into Centre Site on the left-hand side of the traffic ramp. If Sixth Form students are using this route they must walk their bikes through Centre Site and not use Priory Road to get to Portway.
From the direction of Newbury Street via Portway students need to dismount at the pelican crossing and walk their bikes along past The Beacon showing courtesy to all pedestrians, and into Centre Site to the bike sheds.
From the direction of Ormond Road students need to cycle on Ormond Road to Eagles Close (path next to the Fire Station) towards Umami Deli. Students need to take care crossing the road to Church Street and cycle along Priory Road and then dismount at the junction with Locks Lane and walk their bikes into Centre Site on the left-hand side of the traffic ramp. If Sixth Form students are using this route they must walk their bikes through Centre Site and not use Priory Road to get to Portway.
From whichever direction the cyclist enters Portwaythey must dismount on arrival at the 4-way traffic lights.
Storage of Bikes on Centre Site:
6th Form students (and any student in Year 11 using a motorised scooter) need to lock their bike in the bike shed on Portway. We are in process of planning for these bike sheds to be locked during the day from 9am to 3pm.
Year 9 to 11 students need to lock their bikes in the bike shed in the Quad area (behind the main building). We are in process of planning for these bike sheds to be locked during the day from 9am to 3pm.
Once lockable bike sheds are in place, if students need to access their bikes during the day then they can lock their bikes in the bike shed in Centre Car Park.
Cyclist Access to West Site / Cycling to and from West Site:
The recommended cycling routes are as follows:
From the direction of East Challow is to cycle along the Challow Road up to the pelican crossing, then dismount and then walk the bikes to the bike sheds.
From the direction of Stockham students need to cycle along the county council cycle route to West Site along the dual-use pavement up to the pelican crossing, then dismount and then walk the bikes to the bike sheds.
Alternative route from the direction of Stockham student may use the footpath which links Segsbury Road to Challow Road but they must walk their bikes along the footpath and then walk the bikes to the bike sheds.
From the direction of Naldertown and Hamfield students cycling from this direction need to dismount at the beginning of the footpath which links Naldertown to Challow Road and walk their bikes along the footpath, taking care whilst crossing Warmans Close, and walking onto West Site to the bike sheds.
Storage of Bikes on West Site:
Year 7 and 8 students need to lock their bike in the bike shed behind the kitchens on West Site. We are in process of planning for replacement bike sheds which will be locked during the day from 9am to 3pm.
To access this bike shed the students will need to walk their bikes through West Site (behind the Main Building) being very careful of other pedestrians.
Vehicle Access to West Site / Car Access to West Site:
There is no car access to West Site apart from King Alfred’s Staff during peak times:
- 8:15am to 9:00am
- 2:30pm to 3:45pm
If students wish to be picked up by car from West Site then this can be done after 3:45pm and students waiting to be picked up will need to wait with the Bus students in the West Site Hall. Students being picked up off site need to be picked up in a location safe to other pedestrians and car users.
Visitors to West Site can access the marked visitors parking bays outside of these peak times. Please then report to the visitor reception.
Van and Lorry Access to West Site:
No van or lorry is allowed on West Site except if making a delivery to the site. Parking is limited to the School Bus bay at the front of West Site (except for Catering Deliveries which will access the site of West Site towards the kitchens) not permitted during peak times between 8:15am – 9:00am and 2:30pm to 3:50pm for the safety of staff and students.
Disabled Access to West Site:
To facilitate disabled access to West Site we have marked some disabled parking bays for both staff and visitors with disabilities. Specific arrangements should be made via the King Alfred’s Inclusion Team on West Site.
Pedestrian Access to West Site / We strongly encourage students to, where possible, walk to and from the Academy. West Site is access from the Challow Road, either from the direction of the town of Wantage or from the villages to the east of Wantage.
From Wantage Town Centre:
All students must avoid walking across the double mini-roundabout between Ham Road and Denchworth Road.
In order to avoid this double roundabout students are likely to use the Ham Road zebra crossing. Ham Road is a busy road and students should be extremely cautious when using this zebra crossing.
Students can also access Challow Road via Stockham and will need to be cautious of cyclists also using this route.
We encourage all students to walk to and from the Academy in a safe and responsible way. This includes crossing the road at safe crossing points. Students will have an annual road safety assembly and also important refreshers throughout the academic year.
Consultation