Nursery stars set a shining example!
Children from two city nurseries have been enjoying learning about healthy ways to travel around the city – and the project has won them national accreditation.
Last week Councillor Gill Mitchell, Chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Environment Committee, presented a Bronze Modeshift STARS plaque and certificate to My First Friends Nursery in Westdene.
The nursery, along with ToyBox Pre-school, are the latest settings in the city to receive the accreditation, and are leading the way for others who are working towards the scheme.
Modeshift STARS is a national awards scheme which recognises schools and Early Years settings that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel.
Working with Brighton & Hove City Council’s School Travel Team, the nurseries have been promoting active and sustainable travel by:
Joining in Walking Week
Creating a ‘5 Minute Walking Zone map’ for parents, carers and staff, asking them to walk at least the last 5 minutes to nursery when possible
Taking the children for walks in the local environment and actively discussing road safety
Going on trips by bus, where the children learnt about bus behaviour
Having a Fire Fighter visit, to talk about the importance of seat belts and not distracting the car driver
Running a Scooter Week, including doing scooter training
Promoting active and sustainable travel to parents and carers through newsletters and an ‘Active Travel Noticeboard’
“The work that My First Friends and Toybox are doing is an excellent example of how nurseries and early years settings across the city can encourage active and sustainable travel,” said Councillor Mitchell.
“Walking, scooting or cycling to nursery, or parking further away and walking the last 5 or 10 minutes, helps to keep children active and alert, getting them into good habits, as well as helping to ease congestion around the city.”
The School Travel Champion from My First Friends Nursery, Brighton & Hove, added: “Our children, their families and our staff have really enjoyed the activities we have been doing focussing on active, safer and sustainable travel at our nursery.”
“We are really proud to have been awarded our Bronze Modeshift STARS, and are now working on achieving Silver.”
Brighton & Hove City Council’s School Travel Team is working with a number of other nurseries and early years settings to support them in achieving STARS accreditation.
Two schools in the city have also been awarded STARS – Moulsecoomb Primary has Bronze, and Coldean Primary has Silver. The three Footsteps nurseries in the city, who achieved Bronze STARS earlier this year, are now working towards achieving Silver, and then Gold!
Nick Butler, National Modeshift STARS Manager, said: “Brighton & Hove City Council is continuing its great work with nurseries and other early years settings, helping more and more of them to achieve Modeshift STARS.
“The School Travel team at the Council is supporting nurseries to help them run a variety of initiatives, helping them to promote and encourage more active and sustainable travel from a very early age.”
Editor’s notes
Background to STARS:
Modeshift STARS is a national awards scheme which recognises schools and Early Years settings that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel.
Across the country, 518 schools and Early Years settings achieved STARS accreditation this this year. Settings from Torbay to Newcastle have joined the growing number of schools and nurseries that have achieved STARS. This now stands at a total of 677.
Currently 58 organisations representing around 12,000 schools in England are signed up to the scheme.