Transport for
Young London
Primary schools tfl.gov.uk/younglondon June 2015
Welcome to the summer 2015 edition
of Transport for Young London
Now that summer is on its way,
it’s the perfect time for your
pupils and staff to embrace the
warmer days and explore the
local area. What better way to
do this than by walking
or cycling?
In this term’s newsletter you
will find ideas and upcoming
events which will encourage
We have also created a Get
Cycling Resource Pack for you
to use with Key Stage 2 pupils
to encourage cycling and raise
awareness of its benefits such
as the impact on health, air
quality and our environment.
‘spokes’ full of ideas, quizzes,
activities and competitions that
will bring cycling to life in your
classroom. We hope they will
inspire your pupils – not only
to get on a bike, but also to
enjoy exercise in their
local community.
This resource pack contains
a wide variety of curriculum
Download the pack at
tfl.gov.uk/stars-getcycling
active travel behaviour.
Get Cycling – coming soon
We are also finalising a Get Cycling programme
tailored specifically for pre-school and Key
Stage 1 (KS1) pupils.
Games and fun classroom activities offer
the most enjoyable and effective form of
cycle training for children in pre-school and
KS1. They can help children get used to
their bikes and help develop understanding
and awareness through movement. The
corresponding cycle-based classroom
activities will help pupils think about cycling in
their everyday lives and become more aware
of bike and road safety.
Find our comprehensive toolkit and lesson
plans online at tfl.gov.uk/stars-resources
tfl.gov.uk/younglondon
Start Your Journey here
This June every Year 6 pupil in London will
receive a free copy of Start Your Journey –
a borough-specific resource designed
to help students plan their journey to
secondary school safely and responsibly.
It provides important advice for travelling
independently and includes key messages
about responsibility and safety, travel
choices, journey planning and Zip Oyster
photocards.
Delivered in an Oyster card wallet, the
resource contains a map of the pupils’
local borough, an activity sheet and a
sticker sheet listing a number of useful
locations for them to plan their journey.
We have also provided a short, related
lesson plan for you to run through with
your pupils before the end of term.
Start Your Journey will be delivered
directly to all primary schools in the
Capital throughout June, so please
keep an eye out for it.
If you require additional copies,
or receive too many, contact the
Education and Training team at
[email protected]
Update: School Party Travel
In mid-May TfL sent a letter
to all schools, announcing
changes to the School Party
Travel scheme.
From the summer term,
schools will receive all their
tickets by email rather than
post. This is in response to
feedback from schools and
should be a more reliable way
of getting tickets.
It’s vital that you enter a valid
school email address when
you apply for your tickets.
Once the application is
approved, the tickets will be
emailed to the email address
provided in your application.
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You will need to print your
tickets and must bring them
with you on the day, or you
won’t be able to travel. Look
out for your letter from TfL
and make sure your account
details are up to date.
For more information, go to
tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments
tfl.gov.uk/younglondon
Every journey matters
As part of the Road
Modernisation Plan, TfL is
investing £4bn in London’s
roads to radically improve
living and travelling conditions
in the Capital.
The roads in your area may
be busier than usual and your
journeys may be affected in
different ways while the work
takes place.
To help pupils, parents and
staff get to and from school,
we recommend you:
•Tell them about any
impacts on travel as soon
as possible and encourage
them to think about using
alternative routes or modes
of transport
•Send letters or emails with
useful information
•Share the following links
in your newsletters or on
your website:
- For the latest roads
information, visit tfl.gov.
uk/roads/status
-Sign up for our free weekly
email which gives advanced
warning of planned closures
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and trouble spots at
tfl.gov.uk/emailupdates
-Follow @TfLTrafficNews
on Twitter
Make sure you plan ahead when
receiving deliveries or visitors,
and speak to them about:
•Avoiding servicing or making
deliveries to your site during
the busiest travel times
•Identifying the best place
to park, unload or make
a delivery
Find out more at
tfl.gov.uk/roads
tfl.gov.uk/younglondon
Free cycling skill sessions
for all Londoners
Everyone living, working or studying in London
is entitled to a free, TfL-funded cycling session
through their local borough.
Adult cyclists, whether they are cycling
commuters or novices, can also find training that
is tailored to their individual ability and needs.
Pupils can take part in a Bikeability cycle training
course – ‘cycling proficiency’ for the 21st
century. As pupils progress through the three
levels they will learn to control
their bike and be shown how
to ride on both quiet and
busy roads. Bikeability
training may already
be delivered at
your school. If not
then please get in
touch with your
borough’s Road
Safety Team
to arrange a
course.
Less experienced riders will learn:
• How to deal with traffic and position
themselves on the road
• How to plan a cycle route and understand
road rules
Experienced cyclists will cover:
• The latest cycling tips
• Fine-tuning road skills
All cycle trainers in London are National
Standards accredited. You can request cycle training in the
borough in which you live, work or learn
at tfl.gov.uk/cycletraining
Youth Panel
debates on the subject were also discussed.
Please see page 6 for upcoming events.
The panel also talked about the rollout of
TfL’s new teen road safety campaign and
the possibility of using Video on Demand
and online distribution to promote it.
In April the Youth Panel met at our offices
in Southwark where they heard about the
impact of Night Tube from the Head of
the programme, Keith Foley. Youth Travel
Ambassador (YTA) Coordinators Flora
Walker and Andy Peart also discussed
the YTA scheme.
In February the panel discussed the 100
Years of Women in Transport initiative,
where they gave a number of suggestions
regarding young people’s involvement in the
campaign. Plans for London-wide school
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tfl.gov.uk/younglondon
Go online for your
Zip Oyster card
Under-16 Zip Oyster photocards can no longer
be requested at the Post Office using a paper
application form. Customers should now apply
online for a quicker service, with photocards
arriving within a week.
Parents and guardians must apply on their child’s
behalf, and create a web account before they
begin the process. All they need to apply online
is a valid email address, a credit or debit card to
pay the admin fee, a digital photo of their child,
and details of their child’s machine-readable
passport to verify age. If their child doesn’t have
a machine-readable passport or parents prefer to
pay with cash, they can do this at a Post Office in
London by using a verification letter that can be
printed off from within their web account.
Crossrail in the
Commons
Young Crossrail has hosted a debate between
three partner schools at the House of
Commons for the first time.
Crossrail Chairman, Terry Morgan CBE, chaired
the event between Westminster Academy,
Greenwich University Technical College (UTC)
and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School.
Each team was supported by a Crossrail
ambassador who acted as a mentor and
helped the teams formulate their arguments.
The web account also allows parents and
guardians to track applications, order
replacements, check pay as you go balances
and top up or add a travelcard.
For more information, visit tfl.gov.uk/zip
The schools competed against each other
on a number of debate topics including
apprenticeship versus graduate routes into
employment, and positive discrimination in
the engineering industry. Elizabeth Garrett
Anderson and Westminster Academy made it
through to the final and debated the statement:
‘The UK has become too London-centric and
more money should be invested in the rest of
the country’. Both teams put forward excellent
arguments to the judging panel.
Zip Oyster photocard
administration fees
From 15 June, the administration fee for
the 11-15 Zip Oyster photocard scheme
will increase to £15. This fee, which has
not increased since 2010, contributes
towards the running costs of the scheme.
As most children get their 11-15 Zip
Oyster photocard at the age of 11, the £15
administration fee means that they get six
years of free bus and tram travel for just £15.
Terry Morgan judged the teams alongside Mary
Macleod MP, Mike Gapes MP and Elizabeth
Gillbe, Head of Financial Control at Crossrail.
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School won the
overall debate, receiving a trophy and a tour
of the Houses of Parliament as a prize.
Year 6 pupils who are already 11 should be
encouraged to apply before the fee increases.
The fee for a replacement of a lost, stolen or
damaged Zip Oyster photocard remains £10.
Find out more at www.crossrail.co.uk/
careers by clicking on Young Crossrail
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tfl.gov.uk/younglondon
TfL events
100 Years of Women in Transport
Last year marked 100 years
since the outbreak of the First
World War and the first time
women joined the transport
industry in large numbers.
Coinciding with this centenary,
we have joined forces with
partners from across the
industry to celebrate 100 Years
of Women in Transport.
This is an opportunity to
showcase the role of women
in the industry and tackle the
challenges that remain; one
Upcoming events
being how we attract more
women into transport jobs.
We have a number of activities
planned with schools to engage
and inspire future generations,
including a pan-London school
debate, work experience
and the development of an
interactive toolkit.
will launch in September. Year 8 students
will be given a transport-related question to
debate in competition with other schools.
The highest scoring students will go on to
debate in a final held at an iconic London
location. Eager to participate? Contact
[email protected] to express an interest
• When Maida Vale station opened 100 years
ago, it was staffed entirely by women. To
celebrate the anniversary the station will be
hosting two days of activities on Friday 5 and
Saturday 6 June. All are welcome to attend
• National Women in Engineering Day falls on
23 June. We are encouraging schools to join
in and organise events to inspire young people
to consider a career in engineering. Find out
more at www.nwed.org.uk
For regular updates follow @transportwmn
on Twitter and Instagram. For more about the
programme, including films about women in
transport, profiles of women working in the
transport industry and a timeline of historic
achievements, visit tfl.gov.uk/YOWIT
• The London-wide schools debating challenge
The London Cycle Challenge
We’re encouraging everyone to sign up to the 2015 London Cycle
Challenge. It’s a free, app-based challenge (available on Android and iPhone)
encouraging Londoners to cycle more this summer.
The challenge will run for three weeks from 8-28 June and is open to all
schools and individuals who work or live in London. The challenge focuses
on participation – those who take part could be rewarded with Pedal Power
titles and fantastic prizes.
Sign up your school and promote the London Cycle Challenge to your
colleagues. Find out more at tfl.gov.uk/cyclechallenge
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tfl.gov.uk/younglondon
Upcoming partner events
Empty
Classroom
Day
Friday 19 June
Let’s Ride!
Explore London on a
bike this summer with
British Cycling.
British Cycling will be running
hundreds of free Sky Ride
Locals this summer. These
guided bike rides will be led by
friendly, trained British Cycling
leaders and will show off some
of the best places to cycle in
the Capital. With four levels to
choose from, there’s something
for everyone – whether you’re
building your confidence or
already comfortable on a bike
and looking for a challenge.
To find a ride near you,
and to book a place, go to
www.goskyride.com/
london. Under-16s must be
accompanied by an adult. One
adult (18 or over) can book
places for up to four under16s. Age restrictions apply on
some rides.
The idea is simple – schools
sign up to say that one
class will spend one lesson
outdoors on the day,
although many schools do
a lot more! Last year more
than 300 schools signed up,
with activities ranging from
planting wildflowers, bug
hunting and pond-dipping,
to inspiring class visits to
beaches, farms and parks.
Brake’s Giant Walk
Every year a host of people get
involved from local community
groups to nationwide
organisations. These partners
have a range of free offers and
events for participating schools
to showcase the fantastic work
that they do all year round and
to promote outdoor learning.
This annual event is a fantastic way for kids to put their
best feet forward for road safety, celebrate the wonders of
walking and support Brake, the Road Safety Charity.
To sign up, visit
www.emptyclassroomday.com
Tweet your involvement to
@emptyclassroom
10:00, Wednesday 10 June
Brake’s Giant Walk provides a great focal point for your
school to run a range of lessons themed on the topic of roads
and transport, or to help launch your School Travel Plan.
Register now for a free pack to help your school take
part, including banners and posters, plus stickers and
certificates for every child taking part.
To find out more, email [email protected], call
01484 550061 or visit www.brake.org.uk/giantwalk
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