Just as heavy rain sweeps across large parts of England and Wales, the Cycle to School Week kicks off.

More than 420 schools and their 125,000 pupils have pledged to swap car journeys for cycling to get to school this week.

It is expected to ease congestion on the school runs by removing an estimated 56,500 cars from UK roads, The Bikeability Trust said, who is organising the initiative on behalf of Active Travel England.

This could lower carbon emissions, improve air quality, help tackle childhood obesity by encouraging kids to move and teach life skills.

Pauline David, head teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Birmingham, said: ‘As a school, we are fully invested in sustainable education and participate in Cycle to School Week every year.

‘The children love being able to do this, and occasionally, we get some parents joining in, too! We are always looking for as many ways as possible for our children to develop knowledge and understanding of the impact we are all having on our planet.

‘Initiatives such as Cycle to School Week allow us to teach the children about the many physical development, health, wellbeing, environmental, and traffic congestion reduction benefits of cycling or scooting to school.

‘We hope these small changes in behaviour will lead to a lifelong love of cycling and a deeper understanding of how each child can make a difference in the world’s future, which we are here to steward for future generations.’