The aim is to get pupils, parents, teachers and the community to encourage them to leave the car at home and get to school under their own steam.

The week will also focus on improving safer travel to school and getting children to take more exercise while helping to cut carbon emissions.

For Walk to School Week Telford & Wrekin Council working with schools is organising a host of events to gets pupils involved. These include:

· Burton Borough, Newport CE Infant and Newport CE Junior Schools are holding a car free day. The day, supported by local businesses including Focus and Waitrose, encourages pupils and parents to make some or all of their journey to school on foot, bike or by bus.

· A Safer Routes school walk takes place at High Ercall Primary School to help encourage pupils and parents to use the upgraded route.

· A special educational theatre production called Foot Steps will be screened in primary schools .

Jonathan Rowe, head of environmental services for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “The Council is working hard to improve road safety and encourage pupils and parents to do their bit for traffic congestion and the environment by leaving the car at home.

Walk to School Week is just one of our initiatives to help get people out and about and active at the same time as reducing their carbon foot print.

The car free day is a fantastic idea as so many of us use a car when we could just walk around the corner.

It will help cut congestion in the local area while encouraging people to consider other greener ways to travel to school.”

The Council is also working closely with schools to deliver other widely available programmes such as Bikeability, cycle training, and pedestrian training.