HEALTH conscious parents and teachers are celebrating a victory in their campaign to tempt more children to walk and cycle to school. Councillors backed Churchill Primary School proposal to open up a side entrance as part of a scheme to get more pupils tr

HEALTH conscious parents and teachers are celebrating a victory in their campaign to tempt more children to walk and cycle to school.Councillors backed Churchill Primary School proposal to open up a side entrance as part of a scheme to get more pupils travelling on foot, despite a wave of protest from some village residents.The plan came about after education chiefs decided to tackle traffic chaos outside the 250-pupil school at the start and end of the day.The £18,000 scheme will see a gate fitted into the school fence in Larch Close as well as a path to the building from the new entrance.But householders in Larch Close were worried about the new travel plan which will see children using the new entrance in the cul-de-sac after walking from the nearby Stag & Hounds pub car park across a play area.Speaking at a recent North Somerset Council south area committee meeting, Larch Close resident Colin Scott also raised concerns about the number of cars that would drop children off in Larch Close. He said the scheme would not solve the school's traffic problem but only move it to the residential road.But headteacher Val Tighe said: "By providing access at the rear of the school we will take traffic away from the front."Residents do not need to worry about problems with children as they walk to school as our pupils' excellent behaviour was recognised in a recent Ofsted report. This is part of our travel plan to encourage a healthy lifestyle."Even though the proposal did not require planning permission, councillors supported the plan which will now go to the executive member for planning, Cllr John Crockford-Hawley, for final approval.