A city-wide

approach to tackling
air pollution

Switch Off
School Streets
A toolkit for schools

Making a positive difference

2 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools

Contents
Foreword 4
Introduction 5
What is idling? 6
Modeshift STARS 7
Planning your switch off campaign 8
Activity ideas 9
Additional resources to support your campaign 11
Appendices 12

Entry in the School Switch Off poster competition from Sladefield Infant School.
 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools 3

Switch Off
School Streets
4 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools

Foreword
Air pollution is a major problem here in Birmingham air both inside and outside of your car. You can make
Our Switch Off School
and the school gate is a location where we are a real difference and help improve the quality of the
Streets campaign is about particularly exposed to this. As the father of young air we all breathe.
putting children and families children myself, I know that we simply cannot stand This is one of a number of things we are doing to
by and do nothing. tackle air pollution and encourage people to make
first, helping to reduce air We do encourage people to walk, cycle or scoot greener travel choices so that every school in the city
pollution and making it to school whenever they can, but we realise people can be a clean air safe haven for our children.
may sometimes need to drop off or pick up their
cleaner and healthier for children from school by car. Councillor Waseem Zaffar MBE
them to walk, cycle or scoot This campaign demonstrates how one small Cabinet Member for
everyday change can make a big difference. Transport and Environment
to and from school.
When you do need to use your car, please support
our Switch Off campaign by simply turning off your
engine when stationary. This improves the quality of
 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools 5

Introduction
Air pollution affects everyone Transport is responsible for around 80% of That’s why we’re calling on all schools in
pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and the Birmingham to take action and join us in
in Birmingham, but especially school gate is a location where we are particularly tackling air pollution caused by idling
children. Studies have shown exposed to this. Pollutants from vehicle exhaust vehicles. Your actions really can change the
fumes are linked to health issues such as asthma, air that people breathe.
that children in high pollution diabetes, heart disease, lung cancer and other
areas are four times more likely serious health conditions.
The good news is that small changes can
to have reduced lung function
make a big difference – and we can all play
when they become adults. our part! Improving air quality will mean people,
especially children, live healthier lives.
6 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools

What is idling?
This ‘idling’ means that a high concentration Every child should be able to breathe clean air.
Leaving the car engine running
of fumes are released into the air which is then This Switch Off School Streets toolkit will help your
when stationary, often referred breathed in by pupils, parents and teachers (and school to run a campaign to encourage drivers to
to as ‘idling’, is a common anyone else in the area). switch off their engines when stationary, such as
Vehicle exhaust fumes are damaging to outside the school gates.
occurrence around many everyone’s health, but this especially affects younger We can only make the air cleaner with the help of
schools and causes high levels children as their bodies are still developing. They schools and communities like you.
also breathe faster than adults, tend to take in more Thank you for your support!
of air pollution. air relative to their body weight, and are generally at
a lower level (either when walking or in a buggy) and
therefore nearer to the exhaust fumes.
 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools 7

Modeshift STARS
Modeshift STARS is a national award scheme Your Switch Off campaign can be included in your
Before you start your
which supports schools to create a travel plan action plan and many of the ideas and activities in
Switch Off campaign, make promoting safer, greener, healthier travel. Schools this toolkit will count towards your accreditation.
sure you’ve signed up to can then use this to work towards bronze, silver For further information please visit:
and gold accreditation. birmingham.gov.uk/modeshiftstars
Modeshift STARS. Encouraging walking, cycling or scooting to
school helps reduce the number of cars on the
roads – and is the best way to make the air cleaner
for everyone. The Modeshift STARS scheme
includes lots of initiatives to promote
active travel.
8 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools

Planning your switch off campaign

Organising a Switch Off Understand why this issue is Spread the word about your
so important Switch Off campaign
campaign doesn’t mean a lot of The more you understand about air pollution the It is vital to widely promote your campaign both
work but if you follow the simple more you will be able to educate others and change within the school and externally. Holding a clean
behaviour. Our FREE Clean Air Cops CPD training air themed assembly is a great way of engaging
steps opposite it can make the programme supports school staff, parents and pupils in this issue. You can use any communication
air a whole lot cleaner! Resources community champions to highlight the importance channels you have available, such as notice boards,
of having clean air. Lesson plans and colourful newsletters, letter to parents/guardians, text alerts,
to support these steps are homework books are provided, ensuring that the website, or social media – use #brumbreathes so we
included with this toolkit. message is also taken home to parents and carers. can share your messages! Content provided in this
To find out more and book a place please email us toolkit can be adapted to suit your school. You may
at [email protected]. also like to put up a banner up on the school railings.

Decide who will run the Switch Off Observe the situation outside the school
campaign at your school by carrying out a simple survey
This could include teachers, other staff, parents, Count the number of idling vehicles outside your
local residents and of course pupils. Remember – school at the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-
children are powerful influencers who can greatly up for a week before starting your campaign. Use the
affect how drivers think and ultimately act. ‘No Idling’ survey sheet to record your data. If you
Perhaps you have a School Council or Eco Team then carry out the same survey after running your
who can help to organise this? Try to involve the campaign you will be able to measure its impact.
whole school community in your campaign The number of people walking or cycling to
wherever possible – this toolkit contains lots of ideas school instead of driving could also be used for
and resources to plan your activities and this – Modeshift STARS can help you to carry out
get everyone involved. pupil travel surveys and record the data from these.
 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools 9

Activity ideas
Here are some simple actions Creative activity or competition Clean Air Parade
Tap into your children’s creativity by getting them Staging a mini parade can help everyone to
to get you started that you could to make Switch Off posters, design leaflets or even understand the benefits of switching off their
use or adapt to discourage write poems. This is an effective way of educating engines. Get pupils to create posters that can be
children (and parents) about the importance of clean mounted onto lightweight placards and encourage
idling and reduce vehicle air and the harmful effects of idling. It allows them them to come up with a slogan or a short song for
emissions around your school. to portray the key messages in a way that can be added impact. Assemble children in the school
more powerful than even the most carefully crafted playground or outside the school gates (if you
This will create a more pleasant
marketing campaign! Encourage pupils to go big, consider it safe to do so) to hold their mini parade
environment for everyone bold and bright to help get your Switch Off message at the start or end of the school day when others
which could then encourage across. You may even want to run this activity as a are congregating. Balloons, bubbles, windsocks and
competition with prizes; winning entries could be anything else that uses air can add visual impact
others to walk, cycle or scoot made into a banner for the school railings or used to your campaign and highlight the importance of
to school instead. to reach a wider audience through your website clean air. Remember to take photos or videos to help
or social media. Don’t forget to use your Clean Air your message reach a wider audience through your
Cops books for ideas! website or social media.
10 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools

Activity ideas continued...

Sign Switch Off Pledges Junior Clean Air Cops
Making a pledge encourages people to commit Recruit a team of pupils who can act as Junior Clean
to be part of this change. Pupils can colour in and Air Cops for your school and be a visible presence
personalise the Switch Off pledge postcard provided at the school gates to introduce the campaign to
in this toolkit to ask drivers to commit to turning everyone. They can give out information about
off their engines when stationary. This can be done this issue, reward those who are already walking
as part of an event such as the mini-parade or sent or cycling to school and thank drivers for switching
home to parents/guardians to sign and return to off their engines. We’ve produced some Switch
school. Why not create your own pledge tree using Off flyers and thank you slips that can be used to
recycled materials and share your personalised support this along with window stickers that can
‘Switch Off’ messages in the school entrance hall? be given out as a sign of appreciation for helping
to make the school street a cleaner, healthier and
happier environment. Entry in the School Switch Off poster competition from Topcliffe Academy.

Please let us know if you have any questions or

need any support with your Switch Off campaign.
Remember to include everything you do in your
Modeshift STARS action plan, and let us know
how you get on via Birmingham Connected
on Facebook and Twitter or email
[email protected].
 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools 11

Additional resources
There is lots of other Clean Air Day school resources London Sustainability Exchange
https://www.cleanairday.org.uk/free- http://www.lsx.org.uk/our-work/air-quality/
information and resources resources/schools (includes their Cleaner Air 4 Schools programme
available to help you with your http://www.lsx.org.uk/projects/cleaner-air-4-
Friends of the Earth primary-schools/)
Switch Off campaign. https://friendsoftheearth.uk/clean-air/clean-air-
campaign-reports Sustrans
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/campaigns/air-quality/
Greenpeace
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/air- Unicef
pollution/ (includes an Air Pollution Teacher’s Pack https://www.unicef.org.uk/clean-air-child-health-
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/teach-pollution) air-pollution/

Idling Action London Other useful links:

https://idlingaction.london/ Birmingham City Council
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cleanair/
Living Streets
https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/about-us/our-work- Brum Breathes
in-action/tackling-idling-in-london https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk/
12 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools

Appendices
 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools 13

Campaign support
1. Example letter to parent * If you would like to order any flyers or car window
On pages 13 and 14, you’ll find
2. Idling survey stickers (see overleaf) please contact connected@
additional resources to support 3. Switch Off postcard pledge birmingham.gov.uk. We also have a limited stock of
your Switch Off campaign – visit: 4. Junior Clean Air Cops thank you slips Switch Off banners available.
5. Flyer*
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/ 6. Car window sticker*
switchoffschoolstreets 7. Switch Off banner* A message from
(name of child)
:

1
School name:

Date:

n
l Streets Campaig
Switch Off Schoo Please switch off your
Switch Off Sc
hool Streets Idling engine at my school!
Survey
r,
Dear Parents/Care engines when
to switch off their
aign to ask drivers
a Switch Off Camp r. School name
We are launching the school cleane that :
make the air around l, however we realise Dear
stationary to help ne to walk, cycle
or scoot to schoo
their children
rage everyo off or pick up (name of grown up/s)
We encou drive to drop Date:
imes may need to
parents/carers somet aign simply by
from school. rt our Switch Off Camp By signing this pledge you are helping the school community
use your car, please
suppo will improve the Location:
If you do need to your engine you breathe cleaner air by switching off your car engine when stationary.
ary. By turning off
engine while station
switching off your e of the car. n. Pollutants from
inside and outsid especially childre Weather: I (name of parent/carer)
quality of air both ne in Birmingham, but es, heart disease
everyo a, allergi pledge that I will switch off my engine when my car is stationary.
Air pollution affects issues such as asthm effects of
are linked to health vulnerable to the
vehicle exhaust fumes en are particularly Time at start Signed: (parent’s signature)
s health issues. Childr of survey:
and other seriou ping. all play
d air as their bodies are still develo a big differe nce – and we can Time at end
pollute es can make of survey: Witnessed: (child’s signature)
is that small chang Tips on how
The good news nce and
make a real differe to identify an
our part! stationary, you can The vehicle is idling vehicle: Thank you for helping to make our School Streets a cleaner,
your engine when still.
By switching off we all breath e. r and health ier Look for the vibra happier and healthier environment for everyone.
of the air r, happie tion of the vehic
improve the quality l Streets a cleane
g to make our Schoo Listen for the le.
Thank you for helpin engine.
air and Look for exha
environment for
everyone. gham.gov.uk/clean ust fumes.
r inform ation, please visit: birmin
For furthe For further information, visit:
k.
brumbreathes.co.u birmingham.gov.uk/cleanair

are the
Put a tally or and brumbreathes.co.uk

Hello! We an Air Cops!

tick in the chart
Kind Regards, below for each
vehicle that
you count:

r Cle
TALLY

n io
Stationary vehic

Ju
le with TOTAL
engine switc
hed off when
ir engines
tch off the to swi ner.
school clea
ing drivers around our
We’re ask ke the air that already
.
to help ma ’re doing
stationary to see you
Stationary vehic lly pleased
le with We’re rea d work!
engine switc the goo ets a
hed on Keep up School Stre
ing to make our for eve ryone.
for help ment
Thank you lthier environ
pier and hea
cleaner, hap
, visit:
information ir
For further v.uk/cleana
ham .go
birming .uk
reathes.co
and brumb
birmingham.g
ov.uk/cleana
ir
2
4
14 Switch Off School Streets – A Toolkit for Schools

Campaign support continued...

6

Switch Off
A city-wide
approach to

Your Engine
tackling air
pollution

for cleaner, healthier streets

birmingham.gov.uk/cleanair

Switch Off
School Streets
for cleaner, healthier streets

ary School.
n from Hill West Prim
School Switch Off poster competitio
Winning entry in the
Air pollution affects everyone in Birmingham,
but especially children. Studies have shown that
children in high pollution areas are four times
more likely to have reduced lung function when
they become adults.

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0121 303 7674
@bhamconnected
facebook.com/bhamconnected

93.19 FEB 2020

brumbreathes.co.uk