Smile - Happiness is walking to school

This October Brighton & Hove City Council’s road safety team has paired up with Public Health to hold special assemblies about ways of improving health and happiness as part of Walk to School month.

Thousands of children across the city have been taking part in Walk to School month with the council’s school travel team delivering ‘SMILE’ school assemblies to highlight five ways to happiness of Speaking to others; Moving, Imagining and playing, Learning and Enjoying the environment – all of which can be done on the way to school.

The ‘five ways’ were developed from a national report put together by the Children’s Society and the New Economics Foundation which discovered five different ways to help improve wellbeing. The council’s teams worked together to adapt the ‘five ways’ for a local audience of school children to explore with them the links between physical activity and mental wellbeing.

Councillor Maggie Barradell, deputy chair of the environment and transport committee and a member of the education committee said: “We’ve developed an assembly for all ages to promote the five ways and demonstrate that these things can be easily done by being active on the way to school. It’s been well received in schools by teachers and pupils. School travel is not just about the children but parents and carers, and school staff. This initiative is encouraging everyone to get more active, healthier and happier.”

Pupils from St Joseph's primary school in Brighton have been 'blinging' their shoes to celebrate Walk to School month in October.

The school in Davey Drive is celebrating its 60th Jubilee this year and is making a big effort to encourage children to walk to school this autumn. They have a school travel team of pupils and more than 100 families took part in a special walk to school where they were joined by the council's road safety mascot 'Piers the Meerkat.'

Headteacher Fran Morrison said: “The staff and pupils at St Joseph's have had great fun celebrating 'Walk to School' month. As a school, we are always keen to promote as much walking as possible and our school is set in an ideal environment to walk.”

Around 30 primary schools (10,000 children) have signed up to Walk to School in October.

To find out more about walking to school in Brighton and Hove visit the website