How Two Mile Ash School is Changing the Culture of Movement in Milton Keynes
What started as a response to congestion and safety concerns has become a triumphant story of leadership, partnership, and a community choosing to move differently.
Two Mile Ash School faced a challenge that will feel familiar to many: crowded school gates, safety risks at drop-off and pick-up, and low levels of everyday physical activity among pupils and families. What followed wasn’t a single intervention, but the beginning of a cultural shift one that has reimagined the journey to school and the role movement plays in daily life.
A problem many schools will recognise
Back in 2021, the scene outside Two Mile Ash School was one many schools could related too. Cars lined the streets at drop-off and pick-up. Congestion created safety risks and behind it all sat a deeper challenge, low levels of physical activity among pupils and families.
For Head of PE Jake Saville, it was a clear wake-up call. The issue wasn’t just traffic. It was about how children and families were moving or not moving in their everyday lives.
From initiative to movement
Change didn’t happen through a single programme. It happened through alignment.
School leadership, Milton Keynes City Council, cycling organisations, parents, and partners came together to co-design an approach rooted in local needs.
Cycling was built into the curriculum. Access barriers were removed by providing bikes and helmets. Confidence was nurtured through Bikeability and Learn to Ride. Families were invited in not as spectators, but as participants, and slowly, something shifted.
Small changes, real momentum
Each week, between 20 and 30 children and parents cycle to school together, turning what was once a stressful commute into a shared, social, active start to the day.
It’s a small moment, repeated weekly. But it’s helped reshape habits, relationships, and the feel of the school gate.
Elsewhere, progress has been just as tangible. Bikeability Level 2 achievement rose from 48% to 86% by 2025, a clear sign that confidence and competence are growing hand in hand.
And then there are the moments of joy, such as the pupils riding around the MK Dons pitch at half-time, celebrated in front of thousands. Moments that show just how far the journey has come.
Leadership that goes beyond the school gate
Head of PE, Jack didn’t just champion active travel within the school he modelled it, cycled it, and shared it. That leadership has extended into the wider community, supporting initiatives like women’s cycling sessions and helping other schools develop their own travel plans.
What’s changed?
The impact at Two Mile Ash goes far beyond cycling participation.
- Safer, calmer streets at the school gate
- Increased confidence and independence among pupils
- Stronger community connections through shared activities
- Improved physical activity and positive mental wellbeing
There’s also a wider ripple effect supporting climate goals, reducing congestion, and creating a model other schools can learn from and adapt.
This is what happens when activity isn’t an add-on but embedded into how a place works.
The power of place-based collaboration
What makes this story stand out is not just what was delivered but how.
By bringing together education, local government, community organisations, and families, Two Mile Ash has shown what’s possible when everyone moves in the same direction.
It’s a powerful example of Leap’s belief that real change happens through collaboration when we connect people, ideas, and opportunities to create environments where movement can thrive.
Two Mile Ash’s journey is a powerful reminder that schools can be catalysts for change, not just for pupils, but for whole communities.
What can other schools take from this? Read the full case study: Uniting the Active Travel Movement.
