Superzone pilot

A Superzone is an area around a school where we work to make things healthier and safer for children and families. This includes cleaner air, safer streets, healthy food, and places to play and be active.

Portsmouth’s first Superzone is around Arundel Court Primary Academy and will run until July 2024.

We chose Arundel Court because:

• It’s in a busy part of Portsmouth with lots of people living nearby.
• It’s inside the Clean Air Zone.
• Childhood obesity rates are high in the area — in 2021/22, 27.3% of Year 6 children in Portsmouth were obese, which is higher than the national average.

The Superzone includes streets around the school:

• Fratton Road
• Greetham Street
• Arundel Street
• Church Street leading to Lake Road

This is about a 10-minute walk from the school.

We worked with children at Arundel Court to find out what being healthy means to them. Together, we chose four key areas to focus on:

1. Healthy food
   • Encourage more children to eat school meals
   • Improve lunchbox choices
   • Support healthy eating at home
2. Active places
   • Promote walking, cycling and playing
   • Improve places like Arundel Park and the Athletic Skills Garden
3. Cleaner air
   • Reduce car use and engine idling
   • Create a smoke-free zone outside the school
4. Community and safety
   • Tackle littering, dog mess and anti-social behaviour
   • Make outdoor spaces safer for everyone

• We spoke to children and parents at Arundel Court.
• We looked at school drop-off and pick-up points.
• Children took part in surveys about how they travel to school.
• In March 2023, we ran a one-week road closure trial to support walking and cycling, as part of the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel campaign.
• Arundel Park was improved with new playground markings and trimmed bushes to make paths safer.
• Pupils are doing the Daily Mile — walking, jogging or running a mile each day.
• Parents are invited to free lunchbox sessions to learn about healthy food choices.

We’re collecting feedback from pupils, parents, staff and residents. A report will be shared after April to help decide what to do next to support active travel and healthy living.

The Superzone pilot will continue through the 2023–2024 school year.

If you have questions or ideas, email the team at superzone@portsmouthcc.gov.uk