Toftwood infant school - A community initiative

 

On Wednesday 28th February, Konectbus visited Toftwood Infant School to give two groups of reception children an experience of travelling by bus. Katherine Voyce (Marketing Executive) and Sarah Kelly (Operations Manager) took a double decker bus to the school and were met by very excited children, some of whom had never been on a bus before. The excursion began with Sarah issuing tickets to all our young passengers before a trip around Toftwood, where many children enjoyed spotting their houses and familiar landmarks out of the window. One child was excited to tell everyone: ‘I go to that shop and my house is that way!’

The bus then carried on to Dereham Marketplace before returning to the school. Following the trip, everyone gathered on the top deck so that the children could ask questions about buses and what it is like to be a bus driver. The second trip even ended with an enthusiastic and interactive rendition of ‘The Wheels on the Bus’! 

The morning came to an end with the Konectbus team providing stickers and timetables for the children to remember their day and share with their families. One of the teachers commented that the children ‘have really benefitted from the experience and wanted to get back to school to recreate their own bus and role play being the driver and passengers’.

Following the event, the school’s Headteacher, Mrs Pedlow said: ‘Thank you to the staff at Konect for a very exciting and enjoyable bus ride. The children enjoyed seeing the places they knew and for some it was their very first time on a bus’.

Engaging with the communities we serve is at the heart of the Konectbus ethos. These trips with Toftwood Infant school were a great way to introduce the children to the bus as an alternative and fun means of transport at a young age, particularly as the number 8 bus between Dereham and Norwich stops just by their school and serves many of their homes.

By providing them with reassurance that the bus is safe and easy to use, we hope we can begin to develop their skills so that they can feel confident enough to travel by bus independently as they grow up and create habits that will last them into their adult life. 

They might even encourage their parents to travel by bus more, or even plan a family day out by bus at the weekend or during the holidays!

If you would like ideas for Great Days Out By Bus, click here!