Active travel journeys increase at Hull schools participating in national challenge

More and more children are opting to walk and wheel to school in Hull, following the launch of WOW – the walk to school challenge from UK charity Living Streets, in autumn 2024, and now even more schools across the city can take part thanks to further funding from Active Travel England.

WOW sees pupils record how they get to school using the interactive WOW Travel Tracker, with those who walk, wheel, cycle, scoot or ‘Park and Stride’ to school being awarded a monthly WOW badge.

Since launching at Chiltern Primary School during International Walk to School Month, in October last year, a further 10 schools in Hull have signed up to the challenge, including Broadacre Primary, Buckingham Primary Academy, Neasden Primary, Newington Academy, Southcoates Primary Academy, Stepney Primary, Thorepark Academy, Mountbatten Primary and Bricknell Primary.

Between October 2024 and April 2025, 185,000 journeys were logged by pupils taking part, which saw a 33% increase in active travel and a 33% rise in walking rates.

Councillor Mark Ieronimo, cabinet portfolio holder for transportation, roads and highways at Hull City Council, said: “Following the launch of WOW in the city last year, the council has been delighted by the take-up of the challenge among our schools and is keen to see even more getting involved.

“As a council, we are responding to the climate emergency and aspiring to create a fairer and healthier Hull. Programmes like WOW help keep children and their families active and healthy and provide wider benefits, like a reduction in car journeys, the easing of congestion and improving things like air quality. It’s great to see how enthusiastic pupils are about walking and wheeling to school.”

May is Living Streets’ National Walking Month and plays host to Walk to School Week (19-23 May), making it the perfect opportunity for more of us to get outside and try and fit more walking and wheeling into our daily lives.

Bricknell Primary School is one of the most recent schools to take up the challenge and recently finished at the top of the Hull leaderboard for the WOW Top Ten Challenge during the month of February.

Hannah Stannard, head of school at Bricknell Primary School, said: “We are incredibly proud to be at the top of the leaderboard for the walk to school challenge.

“The enthusiasm from our children has been fantastic, they are loving every step of the journey. There’s a real buzz around the school as they excitedly compare badges and set their sights on new achievements. It’s wonderful to see them so motivated, not only to earn their rewards but also to embrace healthier, more active lifestyles.”

Both Hull City Council and Living Streets are keen to hear from more schools in Hull who would like to take part in WOW.

Jim Shaw, project coordinator for Living Streets, said: “Bringing WOW – the walk to school challenge – into Hull schools for the first time has been fantastic. The support we’ve had from Hull City Council has paved the way for WOW to be a huge success across the city.

“It’s great to see the participating schools really embracing the challenge, with the schools keen to promote healthy, more sustainable choices among their pupils, and the children love earning their monthly badges for travelling actively to school.

“We’d love to offer this free opportunity to even more schools in Hull – whether it be starting in summer this year or reserving a place for the next academic year starting in September.”