Walking Bus Guidelines
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A Walking Bus is the name for a supervised group of children walking to or from school. It is made up of at least two adult volunteers, who act as a %u2018driver%u2019 and a %u2018conductor%u2019 and escort the children. Adults and children all wear high-visibility waistcoats.
The bus follows a set route and %u2018walks%u2019 to a published timetable. Children can join or leave the bus at set points along the route. The decision on when a Walking Bus operates is left to the school and volunteers; it doesn%u2019t have to operate morning and afternoon, or even every day.
Walking Buses depend totally on support from volunteers. For a scheme to succeed, volunteers need to be enthusiastic and committed. A lead Co-ordinator needs to be identified to be the main contact for the Walking Bus. He or she must be someone the school knows.
What are the benefits?
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The Walking Bus scheme can benefit children, parents, the school and the local community by:
- Developing pedestrian and social skills
- Promoting healthy exercise
- Saving time for parents
- Developing children%u2019s independence, whilst in a supervised environment
- Reducing traffic congestion around schools
- Improving air quality.
How do we get started?
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First, you must get support from your Headteacher and parents.
The school should send a letter to parents, sample available from Kent County Council (KCC), to ask if they would support and be interested in the scheme.The more parents are involved, the less time each has to commit.
The school should then contact KCC to discuss the next stage.
In order for the Walking Bus to progress, someone will have to be appointed as the Coordinator. Both the school and KCC must be happy with the person that is appointed. Success will rely on having an enthusiastic Co-ordinator.
Many areas in Kent now have a Community Warden who, if they can become involved at an early stage, can prove to be a good source of support. For details on which areas are covered by Community Wardens please phone 01622 696036.
Choosing a route...
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When you contact KCC they will send you a map of your school area. Use this map to plot your preferred Walking Bus route(s) The route will depend on the number of volunteers you have and where they and the children who will use the Walking Bus live. The Bus could start from an agreed meeting place, this could be useful for children who live a long distance away and are normally driven to the school gate.
KCC and the Co-ordinator, must assess the risks, approve the route and the %u2018bus stops%u2019. The school and Co-ordinator will be given a copy of the risk assessment and the route map.
The Walking Bus must follow the approved route at all times. If any section of the route becomes unsafe, or needs to change, the Co-ordinator must tell KCC as soon as possible.
The Walking Bus and the volunteers do not have the authority to stop traffic.
KCC will advise where the safest places to cross are and how this should be done. Chosen routes will try to make use of controlled crossing points, e.g. school crossing patrols, zebras, pelicans, etc.
You are now ready to have your first meeting attended by KCC and your volunteers.
Timetable
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Although the Walking Bus should operate on every agreed day, no matter what the weather is like, the Co-ordinator should agree with the school a procedure to deal with unforeseen or sudden circumstances, e.g. severe weather, or not enough volunteers to meet the required ratio.
All Walking Buses must operate to a strict timetable and will not wait for children who are late, even if they are expected to walk with the bus. Parents are responsible for making sure that children who miss the bus arrive at school safely.
Parents must make sure that children are at the appropriate pick-up point in the morning and collected from the drop-off point in the afternoon, if applicable, unless they have been given written permission to continue home from the stop unsupervised. The Co-ordinator must see this permission prior to the journey.
Parents are responsible for their child%u2019s safety on the way to and from the chosen bus stops.
Ratios
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There must always be AT LEAST two adults present %u2013 one acting as the %u2018driver%u2019 and the other as the %u2018conductor%u2019. Please refer to the ratio matrix for the minimum number of volunteers required according to the number of infant / junior children walking with the bus.
Pre School children are welcome to travel with the bus, if accompanied by their parent / guardian. If they are to walk then then must be counted as infants. If they travel in a buggy for the duration of the bus%u2019s journey, then they will not affect the adult to child ratio. Pre-school children are not covered by the general KCC insurance, regardless of whether they are walking or not.
The Ratio Matrix
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This Ratio Matrix must be used when calculating the minimum number of adult volunteers required for a Walking Bus, according to the number of children using it.
To make the calculation identify the number of Infant children and Junior children on the bus route and trace along and down to find the bold number indicating the number of adults needed.
For example, 5 Infants and 12 Juniors requires at least 4 adult volunteers to accompany the Bus.
Volunteers
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The success of a Walking Bus totally depends on the volunteers and the support of the school. As a result, it is essential that the scheme has as many volunteers as possible, so the routes are always covered and the responsibility does not just fall on a few committed people.
The Co-ordinator must draw up a rota and give it to all volunteers. If a volunteer cannot carry out their duty they must inform the Co-ordinator, who is responsible for finding a replacement. If, for any reason, the minimum number of volunteers cannot be provided, the journey must be cancelled. All volunteers must be able to contact each other in an emergency.
Each Walking Bus route will need a register of children who want to use the Walking Bus and on what days they wish to travel with it.
Every Walking Bus will have a %u2018driver%u2019 and %u2018conductor%u2019.The %u2018driver%u2019 will lead the Walking Bus from the front and the %u2018conductor%u2019 will walk at the back, so the children can be seen and are kept under close supervision.Any extra volunteers will be positioned throughout the Walking Bus to help supervise the children.The volunteers must stay with the Walking Bus at all times while on the agreed route.
All children and volunteers must wear high-visibility waistcoats at all times when on the Walking Bus. These remain the property of the Walking Bus and must be returned when leaving the scheme.
All volunteers who want to take part in the scheme must have received guidance from KCC and must have satisfactory CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks. All CRB checks will be processed through the school. KCC recommend checks should be at the Enhanced level, although the school may chose which level they consider appropriate.
Volunteers who leave and re-join the Walking Bus may have to be re-checked.
Volunteers are not allowed to take pets on the Walking Bus.
ID badges for volunteers
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All volunteers will be issued with an identification badge that must be worn when with the Walking Bus, these badges are prepared by KCC.The school should forward to KCC a passport style photograph for each volunteer, with their name clearly printed on the reverse. There is no charge for making up these badges.
Parents' Permission
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Parents must complete a consent form before their child is allowed to travel on the Walking Bus.This should provide:
- Emergency contact details
- Any medical conditions the Walking Bus should be aware of
- The days when the child will be using the Walking Bus
- The bus stop they wish to use
- Whether or not the child will be met from the afternoon bus stop
Parents will be asked to agree to allow limited personal information to be recorded, but only for the Co-ordinator or school to use if necessary.
Parents must make sure that they are waiting at the bus stop when their child is dropped off on the journey home, unless they have given written permission for them to continue home from that point unsupervised. It is expected all Infant children will be met.
It is essential that parents tell the Co-ordinator if their child cannot go to school (for example, because they are ill), or will not be going home on the Walking Bus. If parents cannot contact the Co-ordinator, they should notify the school instead, although the Coordinator is the first point of contact for the Walking Bus.
We advise that the Co-ordinator agrees a procedure with the school for the cancellation of the Bus, e.g. severe weather, or not enough volunteers to meet the required ratio.
Bus 'Passengers'
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All children using the Bus will sign a pupil%u2019s promise to wear their waistcoat properly and behave sensibly and considerately at all times on the Walking Bus.A sample form is available from KCC. Parents must stress the importance of good behaviour on the journey to and from school.Any child who is putting themselves or others at risk, or who behaves in an inappropriate way, will be withdrawn from the Walking Bus at the end of the journey. The Co-ordinator and school have the final decision on who should orshould not use the Walking Bus.
Children must listen to the volunteers and follow all instructions.
If a Walking Bus operates in the afternoon and, for any reason, a child misses it, they should report to the school office and tell a member of staff. Under no circumstances should they walk home alone.
The children must walk in pairs and carry their own bags on the journey. If a route uses a narrow footpath, children must walk in single file.They must walk sensibly on the pavement away from the kerb.Where possible, volunteers should walk next to the children and always nearest to the road.The Walking Bus must give consideration to other pedestrians and should leave enough room for them to pass freely.
Emergency Procedures
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If there is a serious incident, volunteers must get help from the emergency services. The Walking Bus register for the route must be carried by the %u2018driver%u2019 and contain details of:
- Emergency contact numbers
- Information on any medical conditions that affect the children
- Details of medication they may be taking.
Any incident, however minor, must be reported to the school.
Insurance
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Schools who do not purchase their insurance services from Kent County Council should seek clarification from their insurers about cover for Walking Buses.
Volunteers will benefit from our public liability insurance cover in the same way as though they were KCC employees, as long as they follow instruction.They must also:
- Receive road safety guidance
- Wear the high-visibility waistcoat
- Provide personal details and have a satisfactory CRB check
- Ensure there are sufficient volunteers on the Bus (see ratio matrix)
As long as these conditions (and the conditions of KCC%u2019s insurers) are met, cover will apply as follows:
We will protect volunteers against any amounts they would have to pay as damages for:
- Accidental injury (fatal or otherwise) of, or to, any person
- Accidental loss of or damage to property which happens while they are acting as a volunteer.
Monitoring
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KCC will monitor the Walking Bus once each year to ensure the relevant requirements are being met.
Should the Walking Bus stop operating, or alter it%u2019s operating times, please contact KCC as soon as possible.
Sponsorship
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Companies are often willing to support local initiatives and your school may be able to get sponsorship for items such as high-visibility waistcoats. KCC could advise on this.
Incentives
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You could use incentives or rewards for the children involved.These can include, for example, school merit points or gift tokens for those who use the Walking Bus regularly. These could be provided by the school, parent teacher association or a commercial sponsor.
Publicity
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Letting parents and the public know about your Walking Bus through the media is very important. KCC can advise you on this.
Feel free to get in touch...
