Gold TfL stars for Oriel Academy! From biking to walking, students rewarded for finding eco-friendly ways to arrive at front gate

From biking or walking to being more mindful on the road, students at Oriel Academy West London have devoted months to finding more active, safe and sustainable ways to get to school. 

Their efforts have now seen the Hanworth school rewarded with a Gold award by Transport for London’s STARS sustainable travel project. 

The recognition comes just weeks after Oriel students in Years 3, 4 & 5 took part in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel challenge. So many of them scooted, cycled and walked that Oriel placed 15th out of 50 other schools in London. An impressive 1083 healthy journeys were made in total. 

Oriel currently has places available in Reception and Nursery for the academic year that begins September 2022. For more information email: office@oriel-aspirations.org or call: 0208 894 9395.

Chloe Butcher, Wellness Curriculum Lead at Oriel, has been responsible for initiating and overseeing the various healthy travel activities the students have been involved in over the past year. These include Bikeability, Hands Up Surveys, Pedestrian Skills and a Junior Road Watch Project. 

She told the Hounslow Herald it was wonderful to see Oriel achieve the Gold STARS award: “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved – we’ve been chipping away at the activities for months – and the children are also proud. They’ve taken part in 25 travel activities and 15 supporting activities. It has definitely made them more mindful of their blueprint and how their activities impact the environment.

“Moreover, the children have lots of fun, they like the sense of competition and it creates a buzz and excitement for the kids when we are taking part in these activities.”

The school’s first inspection since the pandemic began has seen it retain its ‘Good’ rating.  The inspector said the school is ‘happy and welcoming. Pupils enjoy their learning and try their best. They feel motivated by the encouragement they get from staff.

Children get off to a good start in the early years. They do well in the nurturing and stimulating environment. Pupils said that bullying does not happen here. They know that staff will sort out any friendship issues or unkind behaviour’.

The inspector also noted ‘leaders have ensured the school has continued to improve. They have introduced a successful mathematics programme and reading is at the heart of the curriculum. This starts in the early years. Leaders want the curriculum to be memorable and they use educational visits to bring learning to life’.

The Ofsted report notes pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and around school. They feel safe in school and said bullying does not happen at Oriel Academy.  Leaders have high aspirations for every pupil and staff are supported and encouraged to play their part in making a difference to pupils’ lives.