WALK TO SCHOOL WEEK
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard has launched his second Walk and Wheel Challenge for all primary schools in the region, in a special collaboration with Living Streets.
The Mayor’s Walk and Wheel Challenge 2025 takes place during Living Streets’ national Walk to School Week, between the 19 and 23 May 2025. This unique South Yorkshire collaboration means that the first 100 South Yorkshire primary schools joining the challenge will receive a free resource pack for KS1 and KS2 classes – including stickers, activity tracking charts, bookmarks and fun activity sheets.
The South Yorkshire challenge will also include a prize draw for participating schools to win scooters, bikes and cycling workshops with Ed Clancy, South Yorkshire’s Active Travel Commissioner.
This year’s challenge builds on the successful Mayor’s Walk and Wheel Challenge in 2024, part of the Mayor’s Year of Active Travel. In total 78 schools across South Yorkshire were involved in last year’s event.
The Walk and Wheel Challenge encourages every primary school child in South Yorkshire to walk, wheel or cycle to school each day to become more active and healthier.
The challenge forms part of the Mayor’s key manifesto commitment to make South Yorkshire the best place in the country to walk, wheel and cycle for our children, with an ambitious plan for active travel with schools at its heart.
South Yorkshire primary schools sign up today
Click below to order your resources today and join the challenge.
Already taking part in Living Streets WOW?
If you are already taking part in the Walk to School challenge (WOW) you’ll already be tracking active travel participation electronically and won’t require these packs. However, you can still sign up for Walk To School Week to get some SYMCA resources and be entered into the prize draw and have the chance for South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard or the Active Travel Commissioner, Ed Clancy visit your school.
Living Streets’ shop page offers additional resources to make this Walk to School Week even more fun. From Walk to School banners, limited edition badges, to Strider mascot toys, make the most of your Walk to School Week! These resources are suitable for schools already taking part in WOW who want to offer an extra reward to those who walk to school every day of Walk to School Week.
Themes and activities
This year’s challenge will see pupils take on The Great Space Walk, encouraging them to travel actively to school every day of the week. Meeting various colourful intergalactic friends along the way, pupils will learn about the important reasons to walk or wheel and its benefits for individuals, communities and the planet!
What's included in the resource packs
Your class will work together to make as many active journeys as possible. Pupils will be tracking their progress each day on the fun and interactive classroom wallchart.
Individual activity diaries, daily stickers and end of week pupil rewards will complement this activity, reinforcing the benefits and keeping children engaged.
Classroom packs contain resources for up to 30 pupils and are available in KS1/P1-3 and KS2/P4-7 variants, featuring differing age-appropriate curriculum-aligned activities.
Inside each pack you'll find:
- Teacher guidance
- One double-sided classroom wallchart/ pledge poster
- Daily stickers for pupils and wallchart
- 30 pupil activity diaries
- 30 end of week pupil rewards
Don’t forget the first 100 schools to sign up will receive their packs for free!
If you have any questions before you commit, please email: WalkAndWheel@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk
Walking bubbles
We have created a map where you can search for your school, which will show a 5 minute walking bubble. Then encourage parents, carers and children to park up or hop off buses at the edge of the bubble and walk the last part of their journey.
The walking bubble map