NORTH Yorkshire schools will receive more than £300,000 over the next three years as part of a national initiative to get children walking to school.

The Walk to School campaign is run by the Department for Transport and the Department for Education and Skills.

A total of £15m has been allocated for primary schools across the country, which equates to about £2.50 a pupil.

Out of 180 North Yorkshire schools, 43 will each get £3,000 to organise Walking Bus schemes, in which adult volunteers pick up groups of children from designated stops and walk them to and from school.

The remaining 137 schools will each receive £1,500 to promote Park and Stride schemes, which encourage parents driving their children to school to park and walk the last five minutes.

Schools can also use the money to pay for things such as police checks, risk assessments and high-visibility jackets for the children.

The money for each school will be released in three annual instalments, and funding for the full period depends on schools demonstrating the impact the initiative is having each year.

North Yorkshire's schools have received the largest slice of the national grant, and the news was welcomed by the county council's travel awareness team, which has been working with schools to promote take-up of the funding.

Gordon Gresty, the county council's director for business and environmental services, said: "Walking buses and walking to school generally have several advantages.

"Not only do walking buses reduce parking problems, they also give young people the chance to learn road safety skills and help combat climate change. Some teachers have reported that children who walk to school are better able to concentrate and arrive at school ready to learn."

As part of the Walk to School campaign, children can earn an enamel badge if they walk to school regularly for a month.