The aims of the program are to:

• Significantly reduce the number of cars travelling to and from schools.
  
• Remove the barriers, both perceived and actual, to walking, cycling and taking public transport to school.
  
• Increase the number of young people and adults choosing 'active travel' over travel by car.
  
• Increase understanding among school communities of the travel options available to them.
  
• Provide information to help school communities understand the benefits of active, sustainable transport and positively influence their travel decisions.

This accreditation scheme has been designed to ensure a long-term commitment to sustainable travel planning in schools. With the target for all Wakefield schools to have a travel plan in place by 2010, the scheme provides a template for further development of travel plan work once the official document has been approved.

The scheme has been developed to ensure that the original commitments within travel plans to implement monitoring and evaluation are met by schools and local authorities. This will enable continued funding and support for sustainable travel projects in Wakefield.

The scheme will also provide incentives and rewards for Wakefield schools that really embrace travel plan development. Those that go well beyond the minimum requirements will be celebrated as examples of good practice.

Lastly and most importantly, the accreditation scheme is in place to ensure that the standard level of school travel plan is sufficient to promote and achieve modal shift away from the car for the journey to and from school.

Each level of the scheme includes details of the links to the outcomes of Every Child Matters and the self-evaluation form for Ofsted inspections. This illustrates and supports the strong links between these important educational requirements.