School Travel Plans: what they are, and why your school needs one
A School Travel Plan (STP) is a working document that sets out how a school will encourage safer, greener journeys and cut car trips to the gate. It's rarely a one-off form — the best plans are living documents reviewed every year.
Why councils and planners ask for one
Under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, every local authority must publish a Sustainable Modes of Travel Strategy and promote sustainable travel to school. STPs are how that duty lands at individual schools. They're also frequently required as a planning condition when a school expands or a new development affects traffic — so a credible plan can unblock real projects.
Modeshift STARS — the national benchmark
Modeshift STARS is the DfT-recognised accreditation scheme for school travel, with Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. Schools earn recognition for measurable shifts towards walking, cycling, scooting and sharing. The hard part is usually the evidence: hands-up surveys, mode-share data and a clear before/after.
Getting started
- Baseline how pupils currently travel (a simple termly survey works).
- Set one or two realistic targets — e.g. reduce single-occupancy car trips by 10%.
- Pick initiatives: walking buses, park-and-stride, cycle training, and organised carpooling.
- Measure again and report to governors and the local authority.
KinOrbit's school dashboard turns the reporting into a by-product: live data on shared journeys, cars removed and CO₂ saved, ready to drop into your STP and your STARS submission.