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Frequently asked questions for schools starting a school travel plan

This page is for schools new to Modeshift STARS that want to find out how to create their school travel plans on the Modeshift STARS platform.

Page contents:

What is Modeshift STARS and why does ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø endorse Modeshift STARS when creating school travel plans?

Launched in 2008, Modeshift STARS is the centre of excellence for the delivery of effective travel plans. It's an accreditation scheme which recognises and rewards schools that show ongoing excellence in supporting active and sustainable travel to school, across their school communities.

ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø endorses using Modeshift STARS when creating school travel plans as it provides a comprehensive system and framework to create, develop and implement a travel plan at a school. The system and scheme also allow for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of a travel plan, as well as the initiatives.

Are there different levels of accreditation for your travel plan?

Yes, there are. There are 5 tiered levels of accreditation ranging from Green through to Platinum.

Green accreditation provides the first foundation level to accreditation. All necessary areas of the travel plan must be completed, including:

  • An introduction
  • Aims and objectives
  • Travel & transport section
  • Defining your issues
  • Setting your two targets
  • Inputting your 10 planned initiatives
  • Inputting your 5 planned supporting initiatives
  • Inputting your 2 planned consultation initiatives

Bronze accreditation is the next step-up from green and to achieve this you must conduct the following:

  • A simple pupil and staff travel survey asking both pupils and staff how they currently travel to school, and then how they would prefer to travel to school. (Please note, for primary schools you need an 80% response rate from pupils, and for secondary schools you need a 70% response rate. For staff, you need a 50% response rate.)
  • As well as this, you still need the same number of initiatives (travel, supporting and consultation), but these should be completed initiatives and not just planned initiatives.

Bronze level is the level of accreditation that is recognised by ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø's Transport Planning team when a school is creating a travel plan to fulfil requirements for a planning application.

Silver accreditation is the next step-up from Bronze and to achieve this you must also conduct the following:

  • Establish a working group with actions documented
  • Run a simple pupil and staff travel survey in the academic year that you're applying to be accredited in, whilst also having run another survey in the last three academic years
  • You must also see a reduction in pupils travelling to school by car in the last four academic years. For example, in the current year you're seeking accreditation versus any of the last four academic years.
  • There is also an increase in the number of completed initiatives to achieve. These are:
    20 completed initiatives
    10 completed supporting initiatives
    7 completed consultation initiatives
  • Evidence is required for all completed initiatives

Gold accreditation is the next step up from Silver and to achieve this you must also conduct the following:

  • Have seen a 5-percentage point reduction in pupils travelling by car to school in the last four academic years. For example, in the current year you're seeking accreditation versus any of the last four academic years.
  • There is also an increase in the number of completed initiatives to achieve. These are:
    25 completed initiatives
    15 completed supporting initiatives
    10 completed consultation initiatives
  • The school should demonstrate that it has exceeded expectations in at least one of the following areas: Walking, cycling, public transport, air quality or road safety and training.

Platinum accreditation is the final level of accreditation and to achieve this you must also conduct the following:

  • Run a minimum of three simple pupil and staff travel surveys over the last four years, including one in the current academic year that accreditation is sought after
  • As well as this, to have seen an increase in active travel modes (walk, cycle, scoot) for the whole journey of at least 5 percentage points in the last four academic years, including in the current academic year that accreditation is sought after

What level of accreditation do most schools look to achieve at the beginning?

ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø's Safer Travel team recognise bronze-level as being an acceptable level for schools to complete their travel plan to. This level also provides schools the ability to start collecting survey data which they can continue to analyse on an annual basis.

When creating my first travel plan, can I just skip green or bronze, and move straight to silver or above?

I'm afraid you can't. You will need to have at least a bronze accreditation in your first year, then after your first year, you can look to progress to silver and beyond. This is driven by the number of surveys you would have need to of conducted for silver and above.

How many ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø schools have currently created their travel plan on Modeshift STARS?

As of the end of the academic year 2020/2021, 54 ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø schools had completed their travel plan. 30% of these were secondary schools and 70% were primary schools. We are estimating a 30% year on year increase of schools creating Modeshift STARS travel plans by the end of the academic year 21/22.

How long does it take to create a travel plan on Modeshift STARS?

We would advise that a travel plan can be created from the start, obtaining sign off to bronze-level, in one single term. This would allow plenty of time to fulfil all criteria, gain inter