Springfield Primary School - School Streets Scheme

What is a School Streets Scheme?

It is a temporary restriction on motorised traffic at school drop-off and pick-up times in term time only, on streets outside a school. The scheme is a community-based approach, which aims to:

• cut down on traffic and parking pressures outside schools
• encourage walking and cycling to school
• make the streets outside schools safer at the start and end of the day
• improve air quality and create a more pleasant environment for everyone

These schemes put children and families first, to keep them safe and healthy by encouraging walking, push scooting, and cycling. We work with school staff, parents, carers and pupils to encourage the use of alternative ways of getting to school, e.g. Park and Stride, Walking Buddys, so that school communities can help to tackle air pollution, poor health and road danger reduction.

You can find more information about School Streets Schemes and watch a short video here.

Background to the Springfield Primary School Scheme

School staff, parents, and pupils in years 5 and 6 took part in an Active Travel survey to help us identify what stops people walking, scooting, or cycling to school, and what would help them to do so.

Here is what they said:

Parents (141 responses):

• barriers to active travel include: distance from home, safety of route, need parent shelter and more cycle storage at school
• if barriers were removed, highly motivated to encourage children to walk, cycle or scoot to school
• need a Park and Stride area not too far from school - unable to use Turnhams Farm Hall
• travel to work following the school drop-off in the morning

Staff (26 responses):

• too much to carry
• no staff cycle storage
• live too far away

Pupils (61 responses):

• I want to walk or cycle to school
• because I am not ready in the morning, we end up driving to school instead of walking

What we can do in partnership with the school (depending on available budget and staffing resources):

• regularly monitor the road outside the school during school dro- off and pick-up times
• install equipment to monitor the speed, volume and type of the vehicles using the road outside the school
• raise awareness of driver speeds and presence of children crossing
• install a parent shelter to protect parents waiting for their children on wet days, although there is limited space in school grounds
• provide support for a voluntary School Crossing Patrol
• provide more cycle storage at the school
• develop a Park and Stride area in proximity of the school

What the School Streets Scheme will look like

Access to the school via Barton Road will be restricted for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. No-one can enter or exit unless their vehicle is registered with our Parking Team or they have a valid Blue Badge. If you have any questions about registering your vehicle, please visit our information page. You can find information about applying for a Blue Badge online or by emailing parking@westberks.gov.uk

All School Streets Schemes are implemented using an Experimental Traffic Management/Regulation Order (ETO). This means that as the local highway authority, we have powers to enforce "moving traffic offences", e.g. ignoring road restrictions. It may be necessary to introduce traffic cameras to monitor traffic outside the school and issue a penalty Charge Notice (PCN) or fine to those entering the restricted areas during the school the school drop-off and pick-up times, applicable Monday to Friday during school term-time only. It operates for approximately 45-60 mins. If drivers are issued a PCN because they passed a School Streets sign and entered a restricted area at a restricted time, they can reduce the cost of the fine by completing an online educational course that will help them understand what School Streets signs mean. 

The Scheme will be introduced around the roads to Springfield Primary School for the start of term on Monday, 2 June 2025. The roads affected are: Barton Road, Highbury Road, Jenner Walk, Rutherford Walk access road, Wiltshire Walk access road and Woodbridge Road.

Click on the link below to view a map of the affected roads and potential position of the signs.

Map showing the affected roads and potential position of the signs [201KB]

Why we want your views

Before the scheme launches in June 2025, we want to give the community an opportunity to ask questions and gain a clearer understanding of its impact. When new schemes are introduced, it can be challenging to visualise how they will affect local residents and to grasp the work being done with key stakeholders behind the scenes. Support and understanding from everyone are crucial to ensuring the scheme's success and, ultimately, keeping everyone safe.

Between six to nine months after it's been installed, we will review the scheme to see whether it is working. It's important that we understand your experiences, how the scheme is affecting you, and if you have any suggestions for further improvements you think would be helpful. 

For more general information on school street schemes, please visit our webpage

How to take part

We're holding a public meeting on Tuesday, 18 March 2025 from 7pm to 8.30pm at Springfield Primary School, Barton Road, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG31 5NJ . Local ward members, council officers, and the Head Teacher of Springfield Primary will be available to answer any questions you may have about the scheme, and the supporting work being introduced.

Once the restrictions are in place in June 2025, we will open an online survey on this page so you can tell us about your experiences and how the scheme is affecting you.

If you have any questions about the scheme or the survey, please email activetravel@westberks.gov.uk

You can find our dedicated active travel page here.

What happens next

We'll analyse and consider all the feedback we receive over the next year and make a decision as to whether we need to make changes to the scheme or make it permanent as it is.

You can view our recommendation report, to be considered by our Executive Member for Highways, Housing and Sustainable Travel at the Individual Executive Member Decisions Committee (date to be confirmed).