School play streets

Want children to be safe outside the school gate?

School play streets are an adaptation of our play street model; short temporary road closures outside a school gate at the start and end of the school day, with volunteer stewards looking after the closure points.

Great reasons to do school play streets:

• Removing cars creates space for play before and after school
• Vastly improved air quality outside the school gate
• Encourages active travel to school – walking, scooting, cycling
• Brings the whole school community together in an informal way, enables school staff to improve relationships with parents and children
• A more relaxed and enjoyable start and end to the school day for everyone
• Increased safety for everyone
• School play streets can build support for permanent school streets (timed closures everyday) – lots more information about those here.

In July 2020, we ran a webinar called Play and School Streets: Why, When and How? with speakers from Sustrans, Leeds and Southampton Councils. You can watch it for free here.

School play streets – a step by step manual

– for schools, parents, residents who want to organise school play streets.

Building on the brilliant work done by our friends at Hackney Play Association, with our partners Sustrans we have co-written a step-by-step manual to organising a school play street.

Download it freely here.