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Children across Northern Ireland set off to school on foot or using their own wheels this morning to compete with pupils across the UK in the largest inter-scho...
Proportion of children walking to school plummets The proportion of primary school pupils walking to school is falling Among children who live within one mile of their primary school, 55 per cent get a lift THE number of children walking to school is plummeting with a record high being driven by car. More than two-thirds of primary-aged pupils are given a lift to school, new statistics show. There has been a significant jump in the proportion travelling by car in the last six years. The figures are included in a report by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI). While DfI ...
Sustrans, a charity which encourages people to walk and cycle, said the figures needed to change dramatically. It comes after a Department for Infrastructure report showed the number of primary school children walking to school has fallen from 31% to 19%. This is despite the fact that just under half of children live less than a mile from their school. "That is shocking", Sustrans said. Of the 968 children for whom parents were surveyed, 523 attended a primary school and the remaining 445 attended a post-primary school. It found that 68% of primary school pupils were driven to and from sch...