Active Devon piloted a School Gates project with a primary school in Exeter and found it was a really time efficient and popular way to get mums active. Working with the school, regular runs happen at a set time every week soon after mums have dropped their children off at the school gates. A wider school gates running programme started in May 2015 and there are now over 7 schools in Devon participating, with successful beginner running programmes happening from their school gates.
Active Devon worked with the head teachers, family support workers and local running leaders to set up a couch to 5k programme from their school.
With 10 parents or more taking part in our groups, Active Devon then link groups with their local parkrun,running groups and clubs to provide progression pathwas and local challenges for those participating.
T shirts have been made for all of the school gates projects to ensure that they feel part of a wider group and we are sustaining the groups longer terms by training up volunteers from the school to do their Leadership in Running and Fitness qualification.
Bowhill was the pilot project from which all other school gate running projects were born:
School Gate running at Sticklepath Community School
Overview of school gates as part of Get Active Exeter: