This page is for primary schools, parents and carers to find out more about our new 'Feet First: Walking Training' Programme.
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Frequently asked questions
Our new 'Feet First: Walking Training' programme will provide pupils with road safety skills to better enable them to safely walk to and from school with their parents and carers and prepare them for independent travel. It will be taught through a combination of classroom and practical roadside sessions.
The training programme will consist of three areas:
- In school pre-training digital modules across six topics areas hosted via Agilisys
- On-site training led by trained Walking Instructors and in-class lesson plans for teachers
- At home activities to complete with parents and carers
This training will cover the following learning topics:
- The Green Cross Code
- Understanding how to use different types of road signs and pedestrian crossings
- Recognising safe and unsafe places to cross
- How to cross between parked cars
- The benefits of active travel
The course is aimed at children ages seven to eight years old (Year 3) and will be delivered by trained Walking Instructors employed by ÄûÃʵ¼°¹.
If your school already runs Bikeability, you can request 'Feet First: Walking Training' with your .
Alternatively, if you do not have login details, please contact us at: WalkingTraining@surreycc.gov.uk, where we can set you up with a login, share the how-to guide on navigating the booking site. You can then begin requesting 'Feet First: Walking Training' for your school.
If you are a parent, please contact your child's school to find out if they are running 'Feet First: Walking Training' within their school. As it stands, we are not currently running private sessions with the public.
The training costs £6 per pupil.
In academic year 2024 to 25, all Free School Meal pupils are free.
If a trainee is eligible for Free School Meals, parents will be given a discount code to use when they register.
When a school requests training, they will need to confirm who is paying. The parent/carer will be sent a registration link.
If the school are paying, there will be no charge to parents when they register. The invoice will be sent to the school after the training.
If parents are paying, they will be charged £6 at the time of booking. Pupils that are eligible for Free School Meals will be given a discount code to use when they register.
To fund Feet First training, the school could:
- Ask parents to pay, or choose the 'school invoice' option and ask parents to contribute
- Use PE and Sport Premium Funding
- Ask local member to use their Councillor Community Fund (YCCF) to cover the cost
- Ask the PTA or School Association if they could fund the training
- Arrange a school fundraising event
- Ask a local business for sponsorship
Monday to Friday mornings between 9.30am and lunchtime.
A course can accommodate a class of up to 36 pupils in one morning.
The practical training will last approximately 30-40 minutes per session.
The number of sessions you have, depends on the number of trainees that register. There could be a maximum of 9 sessions in a morning, with 2-3 sessions taking place simultaneously.
All training will be completed by lunchtime. We will do our best to accommodate break times, but this may not always be possible.
This depends on the number of trainees, but we normally send a minimum of two Instructors.
For a class of up to 36 pupils, we will send three Instructors.
Each Instructor can train up to 12 pupils in a morning (3 sessions, with up to 4 pupils in each session).
We will send at least two Instructors, so a minimum of 12 pupils is required for the training to go ahead.
We can train up to 36 pupils in one morning. For schools larger than 1-form entry, multiple days will be required to complete the training.
If you have several classes, training will usually take place on separate days, with each class on a different morning.
However, if you have small class sizes, it may be possible to combine the training into one morning. Please discuss this with us at the time of booking.
To be able to train a class of up to 36 pupils, the training is divided three practical (on-road) sessions, taking up to 12 pupils at any one time.
In the classroom:
Schools will be provided with login details to undertake six pre-training modules on Agilisys. The topics will complement the pupils on-road training and will consist of:
- Always Think
- Staying visible
- Green Cross Code
- The safest way
- Crossing types
- Active Travel
It is recommended classes run one to two modules per week. Each module will take a class up to 30 minutes to complete.
Practical session (on-road training):
The practical session will involve putting the learning points into practice under supervision of our trained instructors. The practical will be broken up into three sessions, taking a maximum of 12 pupils with three instructors at one time. Each session will last approximately 30 minutes
The on-road practical training will be held within close walking distance to the school and teachers will be given access to the risk assessed route ahead of training.
At home:
Schools will be provided with additional at home resources for pupils to complete with their parents and carers post training. These resources will complement and re-enforce the in-class on and on-road sessions.
All trainees are encouraged to participate in the training regardless of their abilities. Where possible, we will adapt the course content to ensure it is as inclusive as possible.
If you have any SEN children with a Learning Support Assistant/1:1, please ensure they are accompanied during the training session. If there is anything you would like to raise about a particular child before the training, please let us know.
We want to provide inclusive training. All parents will be required to fill out a consent form via the online booking system.
They will be asked to provide as much information as possible, so that we can ensure extra support is given if required and their child has the best possible experience. The school will be asked to check the information provided.
On the day, the school must hand medication, such as inhalers and adrenaline pens, to the Instructor on their arrival.
Trainees need to wear clothing which is appropriate to the weather conditions. For example, a waterproof coat if it looks like it may rain, or a warm coat, hat and gloves if it is cold.
If the sun is shining, parents should consider applying sunscreen to them before they arrive at school.
All trainees will be provided with a hi-vis to wear during the practical session.
Training will take place in all weather conditions where safe to do so. However, in extreme weather conditions we will look to reschedule, where possible.
Yes, all instructors are employed by ÄûÃʵ¼°¹ and are Enhanced with Children's Barred List(s) DBS check and trained in basic First Aid and Safeguarding.
Safety and insurance
All practical routes outside of the school will be risk assessed by the Safer Travel Team. During the practical session pupils must stay in close proximity of the instructors at all times, holding hands with instructors and or peers as required.
Instructors and pupils are covered by ÄûÃʵ¼°¹'s public liability insurance.
Cancellations
If a school needs to cancel, as much notice as possible needs to be given in order for another date to be arranged.
If the training is cancelled due to inclement weather, we will reschedule the training with the school.
In the case of a Walking instructor becoming unwell we will endeavour to send out replacement instructor where possible. If this isn't possible, we will contact the school to reschedule the course.
Full details on our cancellation policy can be found with your .