Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois was impressed by a new parking scheme during a recent visit to Wickford Junior School. The scheme has helped to markedly reduce the number of children being driven to school and as such has eased the parking situation outside the school in Market Road, Wickford.
Wickford Junior School is in the process of amalgamating with Wickford Infant School, on the opposite side of the road, and Mark paid a visit to discuss the merger from September 2018, with the Headteacher at the Junior School, Mr Terry Flitman. Mark was briefed by Mr Flitman on the school’s new parking scheme, which has been developed in association with the South Essex Parking Partnership (SEPP).
In essence, children who walk to school rather than being driven by their parents are given a special token each morning which they can deposit in a collection box in their class. At the end of each month, the class with the most tokens is given a prize and at the end of the year, the class with the highest total will be awarded the status of parking champions. Since bringing in the new scheme, the school has increased the number of children who walk to the school from 50% to over 70%, which has considerably eased the parking situation outside the school gates each morning and afternoon.
Commenting on the scheme, Mark said:
“I would like to thank Mr Flitman for a very interesting and informative visit to Wickford Junior School and the plans for the merger in September appear to be going well. In particular, I was so impressed with the new parking scheme that I have now written to all the other headteachers in my constituency to brief them on it, in the hope that some of them may be able to take advantage of it at their schools as well. We all know that parking outside schools can be a major problem and I think this innovative solution is well worth copying elsewhere.”