Pupil-power launches Parent Parking Charters at two schools in the borough

Pupils at St Saviour’s Catholic Primary School in Ellesmere Port and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Winsford, have both launched a new Parent Parking Charter to help alleviate parking problems outside their school gates and to encourage more active methods of travel for the school run.

Pupils have worked with the Council’s Road Safety Team, local Police Community Support Officers (PSCOs) and teachers to develop the new charters, which will challenge the way people travel to school and ease problems caused by inappropriate parking.

This project is in addition to both the cycle and pedestrian training that has taken place at the schools, to encourage parents and pupils to walk/cycle/scoot to school to improve their health at the same time as reducing the number of cars outside the school at pick up and drop off times.

This road safety initiative sees parents, drivers and school visitors make a pledge to reduce congestion and conflict outside school as well as raising awareness of parking safely on surrounding local roads.

St Joseph’s School is asking parents and carers to park away from the school and walk part of their journey - it would take around 15 minutes to walk to school from the Grange playground, or the playground on Rosewood Drive. 

The school ran a competition to find a slogan for the parking charter banner that is now displayed at school.  The winning slogan was ‘Look out kids about’.

St Saviours School is asking parents and carers to use the car park on Thelwall Road by the shops or Hope Farm and walk the remaining five to 10 minutes to school, particularly at peak times. 

The school also ran a competition to find a slogan for a parking charter banner.  Their winning slogan was ‘Show you care, park elsewhere’.

Pupils and staff working with both Council and PCSOs looked at the issues outside schools and came up with rules and regulations to help improve the parking problems.  The slogans from the competition really get the message across, so congratulations to all the winners and everyone who has worked on this parking charter.

Parents or carers and visitors will be asked to sign a pledge to stick to all the rules set out in the new Parent Parking Charters.  The aim is to see a safer environment outside the school gates for children and neighbours, and to encourage more active methods of travel to get to school.

Pictured - Pupils from St Saviour's Catholic Primary School at the launch of their Parent Parking Charter.