Schools in Reading are being encouraged to apply to the council to close their roads for up to 45 minutes twice a day.
And the council has now revealed which schools are most likely to be successful in their bids to become School Streets.
The first schools to announce interest in the scheme were Maiden Erlegh, Alfred Sutton and UTC, all based on Crescent Road in east Reading.
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But the council has indicated that introducing the scheme on this road is only likely to have ‘medium benefits’, primarily due to the anticipated impact on traffic.
Reading Borough Council (RBC) has been granted £150,000 by the Department for Transport (DfT) encourage sustainable school trips and enable schools and colleges to re-open safely in September.
Having received funding, it has now undertaken a feasibility assessment, ranking every school in the borough on eight criteria to see how beneficial introducing the road closure would be.
All schools are eligible to apply to become School Streets and a final decision will be taken by the council’s Traffic Management sub-committee.
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The council says it is currently “working closely” with five schools to guide them through the process of applying for and setting up School Streets.
A spokesman added: “We welcome enquiries from any schools in the borough who would like to explore the feasibility of setting up a School Street to help ensure their pupils can walk, cycle and scoot to school safely.”
Top ranked schools
These 15 schools have been ranked as most appropriate for the scheme:
Primary
Caversham Park Primary School, Queensway
Christ the King, Lulworth Close
Coley Primary School, Wolseley Street
EP Collier Primary School, Swansea Road
Geoffrey Field Junior School, Exbourne Road
Meadow Park Academy, Pottery Road
Micklands Primary School, Micklands Road
New Town Primary School, School Terrace
Oxford Road Community School, George Street
Redlands Primary School, Blenheim Gardens
Southcote Primary School, Silchester Road
St Martin’s Catholic Primary School, Pendennis Avenue
Thameside Primary School, Harley Road
Wilson Primary School, Wilson Road
Secondary
Highdown School, Surley Road
Medium ranked schools
A further 18 schools have been ranked as having a medium benefit from becoming a School Street:
Primary
Alfred Sutton Primary, Crescent Road
All Saints Infant School, Brownlow Road
Battle Primary Academy, Kensington Road
Churchend Primary Academy, Usk Road
Civitas Academy, Great Knollys Street
Katesgrove Primary School, Dorothy Street
Manor Primary School, Ashampstead Road
New Christ Church Primary School, Milman Road
Ranikhet Academy, Eddleston Way
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Washington Road
St Johns C of E Primary School, Orts Road
The Heights Primary School, Falkland Road
The Hill Primary School, Peppard Road
The Ridgeway Primary School, Laburnham Gardens
Secondary
UTC Reading, Crescent Road,
Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, Crescent Road
Blessed Hugh Faringdon, Aldworth Close/Fawley Road
Prospect School, Cockney Hill
Low ranked schools
And finally, these 17 schools have been assessed as having low benefits from the scheme:
Primary
Abbey Junior School, Vicarage Road
Caversham Primary School, Hemdean Road
Emmer Green Primary School, Grove Road
Hemdean House Primary School, Hemdean Road
Moorlands Primary School, Church End Lane
Palmer Primary Academy, Northumberland Avenue
Park Lane Primary School, School Road
St Marys & All Saints Primary School, Wensley Road
St Michael’s Primary School, Dee Road
Whitley Park Primary School, Brixham Road
Secondary
Reading College, Kings Road
Reading School, Erleigh Road/Craven Road
Kendrick School, London Road
John Madejski Academy, Northumberland Avenue/Hartland
Reading Girls, Northumberland Avenue
The Wren, Bath Road
How the schools were ranked
Schools were ranked on the following eight criteria:
- Feasibility of closing the road
- Feasibility based on traffic impact
- Feasibility based on community impact
- Existing air quality issues
- Existing road safety issues
- Existing barriers to active travel
- School clusters (i.e. Crescent Road which has three schools)
- Engagement with complementary initiatives
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