AN Ilkley school is to launch a scheme to get children to school safely - and at the same time help the environment.

Parents of pupils at All Saints School, on Leeds Road, are being invited to form a Walking Bus group, to cut down on unnecessary car journeys.

Teams of two or more parents would create the 'walking bus', travelling to school on foot and picking up children en route.

Deputy head teacher Bill Hamill said the scheme - part of a Green Travel Plan which the school hoped to implement - would be an ideal way to ease traffic congestion and ensure that pupils travelled safely.

"It's part of a kind of safety drive," he said. "It's something we have been thinking about with regard to the new school. We want to encourage kids to walk and cycle to school.

"The 'buses' will probably be like the spokes of a bike converging on the school from different directions. It would definitely be better for the environment than lots of car journeys."

Staff and pupils are not expected to move to the school's new premises, on Easby Drive, until September 2002, but Mr Hamill said the scheme could be introduced before then.

"I have written to parents and about ten of them are interested in forming a little committee," he said.

"We are not sure yet whether it's going to be worthwhile doing it immediately or waiting until the new school building is built.

"But it could be incorporated early. There's also going to be pedestrian training for the children."

He said parents would meet next week to decide when the scheme would be launched.

Reg Cranage, Chairman of Ilkley and District Road Safety Committee, said he was delighted the school was going to try out the scheme.

"It hasn't been tried in Ilkley before," he said. "But it's been tried elsewhere and has worked very well.

"We have got to try anything to get the kids to school safely. If we can cut down some of the parent traffic to and from school by organising the kids to do this together it would be a good thing."