Frequently Asked Questions

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?

  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 Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel account.
  

• How do I set up individual classes if I am registering as a school?

  1. To set up classes firstly log in to your account.
  2. On your school’s homepage select the ‘manage your school’s classes’ button.
  3. Enter the class name and select ‘add this class’.
  4. Repeat for the number of classes you wish to add.

  Instead of adding classes you can add year groups or ‘whole school.’

Participating in the challenge

• Who can take part in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2025?

  Pupils in 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?).

  Boarding schools

  Boarding schools can 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. If boarders walk, wheel, scoot or cycle more than 10 minutes from their boarding house to their lessons they can also log a journey.

  Nursery schools

  Nursery schools can take part in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel challenge provided they have a DfE Number. If a nursery does not have a DFE number and wishes to take part, they should contact bigwalkandwheel@sustrans.org.uk.

  Special Educational Needs/Additional Learning Needs/Additional Support Need schools

  SEN, ALN and ASN schools can participate 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)’.
  

  If a SEN/ALN/ASN pupil is unable to make an active journey to school then one active journey within the school, that lasts 10 minutes or replaces a journey that would have otherwise been made by a motorised vehicle, counts in the challenge. These journeys must be logged as 'other active journeys'. 

• What counts in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel challenge?

  Walking journeys, journeys made by wheelchair, scooter/skate journeys and cycling journeys to school all count 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 active travel part of the journey lasts a minimum of 10 minutes. So, the part that has been made by foot, using a wheelchair, scooter or cycle.

  If a SEN/ASN/ALN pupil is unable to make an active journey to school then one active journey within the school day, that lasts 10 minutes or replaces a journey that would have otherwise been made by a motorised vehicle, counts in the challenge. These journeys must be logged as 'other active journeys'.

• What are the school categories?

  There are five school categories in the 2025 challenge:

  • very small primary (below 70 pupils)
  • small primary school (below 250 pupils)
  • large primary school (250+ pupils)
  • primary and secondary school combined
  • secondary schools.

  The top five schools on the leader boards for each of these categories will receive an exclusive framed Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2025 certificate.

• What if I enter as a class but later the whole school want to enter?

  You can change your settings right up until the start date of the challenge. If your whole school wish to take part, you can change your settings and enter as a school by clicking on ‘my settings’ on your school homepage.

• Do we need to take part for the whole two weeks?

  Schools can take part for just five days of the challenge 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.

• 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 does my school earn badges?

  Once again we are offering virtual badges that your school can earn by taking part in the challenge. These badges appear on your school dashboard.

  There are eight badges in total, each badge is earnt when your school completes a certain milestone. For example, having a 5-day or a 10-day streak will earn you a badge.

  Once your school has earnt your badge it will have a tick next to it.

  To find out more about the badges your school can earn, log in to your school account and click on the ‘find out more’ button under the earn badges for your school section.

• There are no safe routes for students to travel actively to school due to busy roads/ no footpaths etc- what can we do?

  Why not try a bike bus?

  When cycling in a bike bus (a group of people who ride together) you are more visible to other road users than when cycling on your own. This provides a safer environment for all and it is also a great way to start the day.

  Visit the FRideDays Bike Bus page for more information and a toolkit to help you get started.

  Alternatively, you can get involved in Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel by using the free lesson plans and resources to learn about active travel.

• Can our school take part if we are away on a residential trip?

  No, only active journeys to school can be recorded in the challenge.

During the challenge

• How do schools record their journeys once the challenge starts?

  Ensure you download class record sheets for all your classes from the resources page. Teachers record their class journeys and activities on these sheets.

  Schools then log in to their school homepage on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website each day and enter the number of walking, wheelchair, scooter or cycling journeys to school.

  The logging of journeys can be done by a school champion who collects all the classes/year groups record sheets, or by individual teachers.
  

• How can I log or edit journeys?

  1. Log onto your Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel account.
  2. On the school homepage select the ‘log your journey’ button.
  3. Enter your class/schools’ active journeys for that day either directly into the journey logging table or via the interactive whiteboard.

  Please note: 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 journeys to be edited. Journey information cannot be edited after noon the following day.

• How does the daily prize draw work?

  To be entered into the prize draw you must log your journeys on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website by 12 noon on the following school day.

  For example, to be entered into the prize draw on Day 1 (Monday 24 March) all journeys must be logged by 12 noon on Day 2 (Tuesday 25 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.

  All prize-winning schools will be emailed by Sustrans.

• What happens if my school misses the daily journey logging deadline?

  To appear on the daily leader boards and to be entered into the daily prize draw, schools and classes must log their journeys/activities by 12 noon on the next school day.

  However, schools have until midday on Monday 28 April 2025 to enter their data, should they find it difficult to log their journeys daily. If all journeys are entered on 28 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.

• Why are the journeys from the previous day not showing up?

  If you have entered and saved journey data and it is not showing up please try refreshing the page. 

  We aim to publish updated daily leader boards on the website by 2pm each day, reflecting the previous day’s results.

• How can I check how my school is doing?

  During the challenge, school rankings will be publicly available daily on the website. As schools can 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.

• How are results worked out for each school, each day?

  The greater the number of pupils walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling to school, each day, the better your result.

  PLEASE NOTE: The school or class roll number must be entered correctly, please check yours is correct before the challenge starts by visiting your school settings.

• What is the latest I can log journeys?

  Active journeys can be added up to midday on Monday 28 April 2025. However, we encourage you to log all active journeys by 12 noon the following day during the challenge to appear on the daily leader boards and be entered into the daily prize draw.

After the challenge

• Is Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel challenge fair for small / large schools?

  Yes, the challenge is fair for all school sizes. Scores are calculated as the percentage of your school role taking part.

• When will the results be published?

  The overall winning schools and final positions will be confirmed by 5 May 2025. Details of the winning schools will be published on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website.

• What happens if there’s a tie?

  In the event of a tie, the schools at the top of the leader board will be declared joint winners.

• How will I know if my school has won the challenge?

  Details of the winning schools will be published on the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel website.

  Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel framed certificates are awarded to those in the top five positions of the national leader boards.

  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.