Travelling to our School

At Cathedral Primary School, we strongly encourage parents to find sustainable ways to travel to school with their children, whether that's using public transport, walking, cycling or riding scooters. There are many benefits to doing this. Depending on how you’re travelling, they could include: health improvements; improved academic attainment linked to physical fitness; more time to talk properly to your child, and reduced stress.

We are keen that Cathedral Primary School plays its part keeping Bristol 'Green' and this naturally includes encouraging our parents to use sustainable transport.

The two Cathedral schools' city-centre location means that we probably have the best transport links of any schools in the city. We also know that some of our parents already work in the city centre and therefore do not have to make an extra journey to get their children to school.

  • The TravelWest website provides extensive information on all forms of sustainable transport in the Bristol area. 
     
  • For extensive cycling information and advice, see the Sustrans website.
     
  • Read our press release about Cathedral Primary School’s support for The Big Commuting Challenge run by Sustrans and TravelWest.
Cathedral Primary School Walking Zone - College Square Site
Cathedral Primary School Walking Zone - Brandon Hill Site

Not by Car, Please
Travelling by car is bad for the environment, adding to congestion and pollution in the city centre. It also potentially puts the safety of pupils and other pedestrians and cyclists at risk, particularly in the restricted spaces of College Square and Deanery Road.

Travelling to our School by car also presents many challenges. No parking or stopping is permitted on the busy A4 Anchor Road, nor in Deanery Road. In line with Bristol City Council's requirements, we do not have a designated dropping-off area for children and there are no visitor parking spaces at either Cathedral Primary School or Bristol Cathedral Choir School. We are particularly keen to discourage motor vehicles from College Square. We are reducing staff parking spaces and we would eventually like to see the small number of public parking spaces removed from the square and it become a controlled-access pedestrian zone.

Car-Sharing
If there is no practical alternative to coming by car, please consider car-sharing. A parent volunteer is coordinating a database of other parents interested in car-sharing and we will be happy to put you in touch. There is also information about car-sharing on the TravelWest website.

Buses
Cathedral Primary School is just a short, safe walk (450m via College Green) from Bristol's bus hub in The Centre. Many city bus services have stops there, as do inter-urban services to places outside the city boundaries, such as Cribbs Causeway and Portishead. There are also a number of bus stops even closer to the School on Anchor Road (150m). These are mainly for routes serving southern areas and for Park & Ride services (see below).

Cycling, Walking and Scooting
Our School benefits from a number of safe walking and cycling routes in the immediate area. As part of the straight-line route from the Cathedral Gateway to Millennium Square, there is a permissive pathway through the cobbled area that is accessible at the start and end of the school day. The gates to this route are locked during the school day to keep our children safe and secure. There are also pavements beside the new BCCS buildings on the western side of College Square and on the northern side along the rear of Bristol Central Library.

College Green, between the Cathedral and City Hall, is a pedestrian area and can be reached from the School on foot or bike without crossing any roads. There are pedestrian crossings over Park Street on the east side of College Green. There are also cycle lanes linking College Green with The Centre. In addition, there are on-road cycle lanes on both sides of St George’s Road from its junction with Deanery Road to the Jacob’s Wells Road roundabout. 

To the south of the School, there is a cycle lane on the north side of the A4 Anchor Road and cyclists can use the bus lane on the south side. Pedestrian crossings close to the School mean children and parents can cross busy Anchor Road safely to reach the Harbourside and @Bristol area. There, the pedestrianised spaces are also suitable for cycling. From Harbourside's Millennium Square, you will find the start of the Brunel Mile over Pero's Bridge. The Mile then follows the cycle route through Queen Square and on to Temple Meads railway station.

Bike and Scooter Facilities
There are secure bike racks available at Cathedral Primary School for bikes or scooters. This is located under the Library to the left of the main entrance. 

Park & Ride
The A4 Portway (Shirehampton) and Long Ashton Park & Ride services both have stops just outside the School in Anchor Road, while the closest stop for the A4 Bath Road (Brislington) service is just a short walk away in The Centre.

Ferries
Bristol Ferry Boats and Number Seven Boats run time-tabled services along and across the Floating Harbour, with stops convenient for the School at The Centre and Harbourside. Please check the timetables carefully as they may be more restricted in the winter months.

Trains
There are excellent short bus connections to Bristol Temple Meads railway station, which can also be reached easily via the Brunel Mile cycle and pedestrian route starting in Millennium Square on Harbourside.

Road Safety
We take the safety of our children seriously. Road safety is incorporated into our lessons. All children and parents cycling or scooting to School are strongly urged to wear helmets and reflective clothing. 

Cycle Photo