The schools, both located in Swansea, were celebrated by Living Streets Cymru, the charity behind the WOW walk to school challenge, which tracks how pupils travel each day using an interactive WOW Travel Tracker. Children who choose active travel — including walking, cycling, scooting or ‘Park and Stride’ — earn monthly WOW badges designed by pupils across the UK.
Penyrheol Primary School ranked second nationally, with an impressive 96% of journeys recorded as active travel during June. Sketty Primary School secured ninth place, with 80% of journeys logged as active.
“Walking and wheeling to school keeps us fit, healthy and happy – and it reduces congestion, air pollution and road danger outside the school gates,” said Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive of Living Streets.
“It’s great to hear that pupils at Penyrheol Primary School are benefitting from walking to school. I’m sure they’ll inspire other children and their families to follow in their footsteps.”
The WOW Top Ten challenge runs throughout the school year, with seasonal competitions designed to boost engagement and promote healthier habits. The initiative also supports wider goals of reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality around school gates.
Cllr Andrew Stevens, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment & Infrastructure, praised the schools’ achievement:
“Making it onto the leaderboard is a testament of commitment from Penyrheol and Sketty Primary Schools in promoting healthier lifestyles. The pupils’ success reflects their enthusiasm in making active travel a daily habit.”
The WOW programme is currently active in over 200 primary schools across Wales, supported by Welsh Government funding aimed at improving sustainable travel and child wellbeing.
