27 March
Aurora Hedgeway scoops prestigious travel award
Aurora Hedgeway School is celebrating after scooping a top accolade for its outstanding efforts in promoting walking, cycling, and sustainable travel to and from school.
At a ceremony in London last week, Aurora Hedgeway was crowned National SEND School of the Year 2025/26 in the National STARS Travel Awards.
Modeshift STARS (Sustainable Travel Accreditation and Recognition for Schools) is a Department for Transport backed scheme that honours those that have demonstrated excellence in promoting walking, wheeling, cycling, and the use of public transport for everyday journeys, setting a benchmark for best practice in their sectors.
Hedgeway school qualified for the national competition after winning ‘South Gloucestershire SEN School of the Year’ and ‘South West Regional SEN School of the Year’ in November.
Klaire Rowland, Principal of Hedgeway and Aurora Linemere School, was presented with the award by UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Transport Lilian Greenwood MP during Modeshift’s annual summit at London’s Royal Society. It was also attended by Daisy Cooper MP, Rachel Hopkins MP, Jess Phillips MP, Graham Stuart MP, Claire Young MP and Shockat Adam MP.
Awards were distributed under seven categories: Business, Healthcare and Residential sites, Primary and Secondary schools, SEND schools and Early Years establishments.
Presenting the awards, Lilian Greenwood MP said: “These award winners are leading the way, showing what can be achieved when organisations take practical steps to support walking, wheeling and cycling in their communities.”
Klaire said everyone at the school was still coming to terms with winning the award and the fact that Hedgeway is the first SEND school in South Gloucestershire to have been awarded the accolade.
“The recognition has given the entire Hedgeway community a moment to reflect on the commitment, creativity, and hard work that have shaped our Active Travel initiatives over the past few years." Klaire, Head Teacher
“These initiatives have made a meaningful contribution to safer, more sustainable travel for students and staff, and they play a key role in our ongoing journey toward becoming a Net Zero school by 2030.”
Klaire said that operating in a rural location presented unique challenges as all the pupils rely on Local Authority transport, and public transport options were limited for staff.
She added that whilst The Aurora Group’s Ride-to-Work scheme was available, the route infrastructure was not practical for her school. Despite this, she said the school has remained steadfast in its commitment to promoting independence, safety, and sustainability for every learner.
This award reflects the inclusive and embedded Active Travel culture we have cultivated. It also celebrates our students’ growing confidence and independence as they develop the skills needed to access Post‑16 opportunities and feel aligned with their mainstream peers.
Klaire thanked Catherine McCoy and Andy Macdonald, from South Gloucestershire Council’s road safety team for supporting the school’s initiatives around sustainable and inclusive travel.
“The Hedgeway team is energised by this achievement and ready for the next challenge,” said Klaire.
“We will continue to inspire and empower our whole community as we progress toward our shared ambition of reaching Net Zero by 2030.” Klaire, Head Teacher
Other Modeshift STARS category winners included Pinewood Studios, Derbyshire County Council and London Luton Airport.
The Active Travel Ambassador (ATA) programme aims to have trained 1,200 pupils as ambassadors and accredited 120 schools with Modeshift STARS by July 2026.
