TRAFFIC problems in Sheet have led to a partnership with a village pub aimed at encouraging parents and children to walk to school.

After taking part in the national Walk to School Week initiative, Jonathan Berry of the Queens Head pub said parents could carry on using the pub car park.

The primary school is in the narrow School Lane, which is used for on-street parking by residents and at times this leaves the road only just wide enough for one vehicle to travel along it safely.

It is also busy with cars using it as a shortcut to and from Steep and the nearby Tilmore Gardens.

And a combination of the increasingly busy road, limited space to park outside at the school, and more children being dropped off by parents, has seen fears voiced over the safety of road users and pupils, of whom around 112 attend the popular village school.

Julia Willmott is a parent and the school’s Travel Plan Ambassador and she says the school is promoting walking to school, ‘park and stride,’ as a way of making life safer and healthier for pupils and parents.

She said: “We have a real problem with traffic and parking congestion in Sheet.

“So we are doing a lot as a school to promote active travel so our pupils can get to and from school safely.

“Part of this initiative involves raising awareness of road users in our community who drive through the village during peak times.”

During Walk to School Week the Queens Head and the Half Moon pubs in the village let parents use their car parks so they could walk their children to school.

Sheet headteacher Julie Robinson said: “We know that walking to school makes children feel healthier and happier, while reducing congestion and pollution around the school and village.

“We understand that for some parents busy lives mean that driving to school to drop off their children is the only option.

“By partnering with our local businesses, families can park safely and enjoy a more active trip to school.”

The Queen’s Head has since offered to continue to provide parking for parents, she added.

During Walk to School Week pupils have received a ‘well done’ sticker every day parents used the pub car parks, or they walked, cycled or used scooters to get to school.

They were also given road safety information at a dedicated assembly.