Registration / Login
How do I register my school?
Simply fill in your school details on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel registration page.
What is a DfE / SEED / Inst Ref number? (You will need this to register)
England and Wales Schools have a seven-digit DfE number. It is made up of the school’s LA number (three digits) followed by its establishment number (four digits). Look these up, or ask your school office.
Scotland Schools have a seven-digit SEED number. Look yours up, or ask your school office.
Northern Ireland Schools have a seven-digit Inst Ref No. Look yours up, or ask your school office.
If you do not have a DfE/SEED/Inst Ref number because you are a nursery, new school or academy please email us at bigwalkandwheel@sustrans.org.uk
I am a parent/school travel coordinator. Can I register my schools for them?
You can offer to help your schools register, but you’ll need to get a school staff member to sign up as they will need to log in and record their results on a daily basis.
How do I change/reset my password, or have it sent to me if I forget it?
When you login there is an option to reset your password.
I am having trouble logging in. What do I do?
Please make sure you are using the email address you registered your school with and the password you created at registration.
Sometimes there are problems with the internet connection so it is worth testing a few times. If you are still having trouble please email bigwalkandwheel@sustrans.org.uk for help.
Can individual teachers log in at the same time?
Yes, individual teachers can log in at the same time using the same log in. There is only one log in per school so this will need to be shared amongst anyone wanting access to your schools Big Walk and Wheel account.
How do I set up individual classes if I am registering as a school?
To set up classes firstly log in to your account. On your school’s homepage select the ‘manage your school’s classes’ button on the right hand side panel. Enter the class name and select ‘add this class’. Repeat for the number of classes you wish to add. Instead of adding classes you are able to add year groups or ‘whole school.’
Participation
Who can take part in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2022?
ALL schools in the UK can take part in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel (provided they have a DfE, SEED or Inst. Ref no. – what are these?).
What counts in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel challenge?
Walking journeys, journeys made by wheelchair, scooter journeys and cycling journeys to school all count as active journeys to school in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel challenge. A school/year group/class may log one active journey per pupil per day of the challenge. This should relate to the journey made to school each day.
For those that park and walk/wheel, their journey to school can be logged as an active journey to school in the challenge if the final 10 minutes of the journey has been made by foot, using a wheelchair, scooter or cycle.
We want to include as many children as possible. We have provided alternative ways for children to take part in the competition if the following specific barriers to participation prevent them taking an active journey to school:
- pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities
- pupils who use local authority provided transport
- pupils who are learning remotely
- boarders
Please see the ways to take part in the challenge guide for more information about the ways these children can take part. The journey logging page explains how each type of activity needs to be logged during the challenge. The Include Everyone page of the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website provides physical activity ideas that can count in the challenge for children with the above barriers to participation.
Please contact bigwalkandwheel@sustrans.org.uk to discuss the involvement of pupils with barriers to participation other than those detailed in the above pdf.
What do I log as an active journey to school/an active journey (other)/physical activity in the challenge?
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is an inter-school active travel competition.
The majority of children will take part by making an active journey to school (walking, using a wheelchair, scooting or cycling) which will be logged as an active journey to school.
Children with specific barriers to participation can take part by taking alternative active journeys or completing other physical activities.
The active journeys to school will be logged according to the mode of transport used e.g. active journey to school (walking/wheelchair), active journey to school (scooting), and active journey to school (cycling).
Alternative active journeys (from school or home) for children with specific barriers to participation can be logged as active journeys (other). We won’t be collecting information on the mode of transport for these journeys.
The physical activities, for children with specific barriers to participation, can be logged as physical activities.
Please see the ways to take part in the challenge pdf for more information.
You can only log one active journey or physical activity per child per day.
You cannot log active journeys (other) or physical activities for children unless they have the specific barriers to participation as detailed on the ways to take part in the challenge pdf.
Please contact bigwalkandwheel@sustrans.org.uk to discuss the involvement of pupils with barriers to participation other than those detailed in the above pdf.
What can be logged as an active journey to school in the challenge?
- Journeys to school made by foot, using a wheelchair, scooter or cycle.
- Park and walk/wheel journeys- so long as the final 10 minutes of the journey is an active journey (made by foot, using a wheelchair, scooter or cycle).
What can be logged as an active journey (other) in the challenge?
This option is only for children with specific barriers to participation.
- For children who use local authority provided transport and children learning remotely you can log an active journey from home with a family member.
- For pupils who board you can log an active journey from school.
What can be logged as a physical activity in the challenge?
This option is only for children with specific barriers to participation.
- For children who use local authority provided transport you can log 30 minutes of physical activity at school.
- For children who have special education needs and/or disabilities you can log physical activity done at school (the duration of physical activity is at teacher’s discretion).
- For children learning remotely due to coronavirus you can log 30 minutes of physical activity at home.
When am I allowed to log a physical activity in the challenge?
Physical activities can be logged in the challenge for children who have specific barriers to participation who complete activity as outlined in the ways to take part in the challenge pdf.
We understand some schools chose to run the physical activity as a whole class activity so as not to single out children with barriers to participation and for practical reasons.
We request that you only record/log the physical activity of the children with specific barriers to participation on your record sheet/on the challenge journey logging webpage. For the other children, please record/log their active journeys to school, where applicable.
Why are Sustrans no longer counting adult/teacher/staff/supporter journeys in the challenge?
We greatly appreciate the role adults play in making Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel the success it is.
Every active journey to school that replaces a car journey helps improve air quality and reduce congestion around schools.
We have responded to feedback from schools that recording and logging supporter journeys added extra complexity to the event. Adults will still play a central role helping raise awareness of the competition and the benefits of active travel, encouraging families to make active travel choices, helping families overcome barriers to active travel, travelling in with their children, acting as positive role models, making the event fun and engaging and celebrating the children’s active travel choices.
We do hope all adults continue to make active travel choices, to school and beyond.
What are the categories?
There are three categories in the 2022 challenge:
- small primary school (up to 250 pupils)
- large primary school (250+ pupils)
- secondary schools.
The top five schools on the leaderboards for each of these categories will receive an exclusive framed Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2022 certificate.
What if I enter as a class but later the whole school want to enter?
You are able to change your settings right up until the start date of the competition. If your whole school wish to take part, you are able to change your settings and enter as a school by clicking on ‘my settings’ under the My School tab.
We are a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school. Can we take part?
Yes, SEN schools can compete too. If your pupils are able to walk, use a wheelchair, scoot or cycle to school then you log these active journeys on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website based on the mode of transport used e.g. ‘Child journeys (cycle)’.
SEN schools with pupils who are unable to walk, use a wheelchair, scoot or cycle school may do other physical activity at school which can count towards the school’s daily score. This can include walking, using a wheelchair, scooting and cycling (using school/static/adapted cycles if required), or other physical activity during the school day e.g. during school break times, in the playground.
Activity completed at school must be logged as ‘Children's physical activities’. It is up to the discretion of school staff what constitutes one physical activity taking into account pupil ability.
SEN pupils who are being taught remotely can record an active journey with a family member from home or a physical activity completed at home instead. Active journeys from home with a family member need to be logged as active journey (other). Physical activity completed at home by remote learners must be logged as ‘Children's physical activities’.
Please note: you can only log one active journey or physical activity per pupil.
Can pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and/or disabilities take part?
Yes, all pupils can take part in Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel. For those able to walk, use a wheelchair, scoot, or cycle to school they can take active journeys to school. These journeys will be logged on the website based on the mode of transport e.g. ‘Child journey (walking and using a wheelchair)’.
Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities who are unable to, walk, use a wheelchair, scoot or cycle to school may do other physical activity at school which can count towards the school’s daily score. This can include walking, cycling (using school/static/adapted cycles if required), scooting and using a wheelchair during the school day e.g. during school break times, in the playground.
Activity completed at school must be logged as ‘Children's physical activities’. It is up to the discretion of school staff what constitutes one physical activity for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, taking into account pupil ability.
Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities who are being taught remotely can record an active journey with a family member or a physical activity completed at home instead.
Active journeys from home with a family member need to be logged as active journey (other). Physical activity completed at home by remote learners must be logged as ‘Children's physical activities’. It is up to the discretion of school staff what constitutes one journey or physical activity for remote learners with SEN, taking into account pupil ability.
Please note: you can only log one active journey or physical activity per pupil.
How can children whose family members have mobility needs participate?
If the families wish to, children with family members who have the barriers to participation specified in the ways to take part in the challenge pdf can use the alternative ways of taking part as specified in that document, as if the child had those participation barriers themselves.
For example, if a parent/guardian’s disabilities prevented them accompanying their child on an active journey to school, the child could take part in a physical activity at school instead which can count towards the school’s daily score.
Is it possible to just take part on certain days of the challenge?
Schools are able to take part for just five days of the competition or are able to record journeys on all 10 days. The best five days is chosen for your final score, however, the more days you enter, the more potential there is to record higher participation rates and the more chances you have to win in our daily prize draw.
Why has Sustrans dropped the 1-day challenge from the 2022 competition?
As a walking and cycling charity aiming to promote active travel we would like to encourage all schools to log active journeys for at least 5 days during the event, and ideally for all ten days.
We want families to develop healthy habits which they continue long after the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel event. The longer the families are encouraged to travel to school actively during the event, the more likely they are to get into a new routine and the more chance active travel will become their new normal.
Less than 20% of schools that took part in Big Pedal 2021 signed up for the 1-day challenge, the vast majority of schools signed up to do the 5-day challenge. We hope all the schools that took part in the 1-day challenge last year sign up to the 5-day challenge this year.
We thank all schools for taking part in Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel and hope your school communities enjoy every day of the challenge.
How can I see which schools in my area are taking part?
There is a list of schools that have registered on the website which you can search alphabetically, by school name or by Local Authority. Or you can view the map of schools taking part.
How do schools record their walking, using a wheelchair, scooting and cycling journeys once the challenge starts?
Ensure you download class record sheets for all your classes from the resources page. Teachers log their class journeys and activities on these sheets. Schools then log in to their school home page on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website each day and enter the number of walking, wheelchair, scooter or cycling journeys to school, active journeys, active journeys (other) and physical activity. The activity which is not an active journey to school is only for those with barriers to participation, see the ways to take part in the challenge guide for more information. The logging of journeys can be done by a school champion who collects all of the classes/year groups record sheets, or by individual teachers.
To appear on the daily leaderboards and to be entered into the daily prize draw, schools and classes must log their journeys/activities by 9am on the next school day. For your journeys/activities to count towards the overall challenge results, all results must be entered on to the website by midday on Tuesday 5 April 2022.
How can I log or edit journeys
Log onto your Big Walk and Wheel account. On the school homepage select the ‘log your journey’ button. Enter your class/schools journeys/activities for that day. A value must be entered in each cell to save the journeys. If you have no journeys for one mode of active travel for example scooting, enter zero into the cell. To edit the results that have been entered that day click on the day number e.g. one and it will allow the numbers to be edited. Once scores have been entered and the 9am deadline has passed the following day, results cannot be changed.
What is the latest I can log journeys?
Active journeys/physical activities can be added up to midday on Tuesday 5 April 2022. However, we encourage you to log all active journeys/physical activities by 9am the following day during the challenge.
This is to keep your daily score up to date, to increase your chance of being entered into the daily prize draw and to prevent you missing the chance to log all of your schools journeys.
Active journeys/physical activities can only be added after the daily 9am deadline if no other journeys/physical activities have been added for that class on the day you wish to enter data for. For example, if class 4B has entered cycling and scooting journeys, they will be unable to add their walking/wheelchair journeys after the daily 9am deadline.
What happens if I do not register my school's journeys before the 9am deadline each day?
To appear on the daily leaderboards and to be entered into the daily prize draw, schools and classes must log their journeys/activities by 9am on the next school day. However, schools have until midday on Tuesday 5 April 2022 to enter their data, should they find it difficult to log their journeys/activities daily. If all journeys/activities are entered on 5 April (rather than daily) they will only count towards your overall race position and not your daily position and you will not be eligible for the daily prize draws.
How does the daily prize draw work?
To be entered into the prize draw you must log your activity (active journeys to school, active journeys (other) and physical activity) on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website by 9am on the following school day. For example, to be entered into the prize draw on Day 1 (Monday 21 March) journeys/activities must be logged by 9am on Day 2 (Tuesday 22 March). A daily prize winner will be selected each day at random from all schools/classes who have recorded at least 15% of their pupils walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling to school, or activities for those with barriers to participation.
We’re a boarding school, can we take part?
Boarding schools are able to participate in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel challenge.
To participate, non-boarders can travel to school by walking using a wheelchair, scooting and cycling, Boarders can chose to take part by taking an active journey from the school. See the include everyone page for some suggestions of active journeys from school.
Resources
Will there be resources available?
Yes, we are currently developing these. These can be found on the resources page.
Results
Is the competition fair for small / large schools?
Yes, the competition is fair for all sizes of school. Scores are calculated as the percentage of your pupils taking part.
How are the results worked out for each school each day?
The greater the number of pupils walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling to school, from school (for boarders), from home (for students who use Local Authority provided transport and for those learning remotely) or completing physical activity at home or at school (for SEN schools or pupils, students who use Local Authority provided transport and those learning remotely) each day, the better your result. Scores are calculated as the percentage of your pupils taking part.
PLEASE NOTE:The school or class roll number must be entered correctly, please check yours is correct before the competition starts by visiting your school settings.
How can I check how my school is doing?
During the challenge, school rankings will be publicly available daily on the website. As schools are able to enter results daily or at the end of the challenge, a more accurate picture of their progress can be obtained at the end of the challenge.
What happens if there’s a tie?
In the event of a tie, the schools at the top of the leaderboard will be declared joint winners.
How do I know if my school has won a daily prize?
All prize-winning schools will be emailed by Sustrans.
How will I know if my school has won the competition?
The results will be published at the end of the competition on the website.
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel framed certificates are awarded to those in the top five positions of the national leaderboards.
Regardless of whether you won or not, every school and class are able to print their own Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel certificate, downloadable from the resources page on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website.
More questions? Please contact the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel team: bigwalkandwheel@sustrans.org.uk
COVID-19
Will Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel go ahead if schools are closed due to coronavirus?
Yes. Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel will go ahead even if schools are closed. The activity pupils complete with a family member from home (or at home) will count in the challenge. See below to find out what counts in the challenge when pupils are being taught remotely.
All participants must follow the relevant local coronavirus guidance.
What counts as a journey for pupils learning remotely?
For pupils who are learning remotely due to coronavirus, 30 minutes of physical activity completed at home will count in the challenge. This would need to be logged as physical activity.
An active journey with a family member from home, also counts in the challenge. This would be logged as active journey (other).
What about pupils who are self-isolating?
For participants who are self-isolating but well, a 30 minute physical activity that day also counts in the challenge. This would need to be logged as physical activity.
All participants must follow the relevant local coronavirus guidance.
How do pupils report the active journeys or physical activity they take from/at home?
Pupils who are being taught remotely should let their teacher know if they have taken an active journey with a family member from home or done 30 minutes of physical activity at home which will count in the challenge. Each school will use their own preferred method of teacher-pupil communication for gathering this information. These journeys /activities will be added to the class submission.
To be entered into the daily prize draw, the school must log all journeys and Big Walk and Wheel activities- including those made by remote learners- on the Big Walk and Wheel website by 9am on the following working day.
How do I log the active journeys made from home and physical activities at home by pupils learning remotely?
You log the active journeys made from home or the physical activity taken at home by pupils learning remotely separately from the active journeys to school. You click on the My School tab of the Big Walk and Wheel website and select Log Your Journeys to find the class log table.
Journeys from home will be logged as active journey (other) in the class log table. You are not able to specify the mode of transport for these other active journeys. We are only collecting mode of transport information for active journeys to school.
To be entered into the daily prize draw, the school must log all journeys/activities- including those made by remote learners- on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website by 9am on the following working day.
Why are Sustrans encouraging people to travel activity during the coronavirus pandemic?
There are many benefits of active travel, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Active travel is great for your physical health and mental wellbeing, helps to reduce congestion outside of the school gate, and is possible to do whilst maintaining social distancing guidelines.
The Department for Education have said encouraging active travel helps “to enable pupils to be physically active while encouraging physical distancing.”
If you have developed any of the coronavirus symptoms, or come in contact with someone who has coronavirus then please follow the government's guidelines.
Please follow local coronavirus guidelines.
More questions? Please contact the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel team: bigwalkandwheel@sustrans.org.uk.