SCHOOL children in Dorset are being encouraged to jump aboard a bus this week - except this one has no wheels, creates no pollution and actually keeps you fit.

As part of National Summer Walk to School Week youngsters and their parents will be urged to take on the roles of drivers, passengers and conductors in an environmentally-sound walking bus. Thousands of parents across Dorset who regularly tackle the rush hour traffic for short journeys to and from school are instead being invited to pound the pavements with their children.

A record-breaking 125 Dorset schools are known to be supporting this year's walk to school campaign.

Children and their parents throughout the county will be joined by sports stars and local dignitaries in a bid to encourage a journey to school by foot.

This year will mark the eighth staging of the annual event, which now involves more than 12,000 schools nationally and more than 3.5m children world-wide.

The initiative aims to persuade parents that the walk to school week is not a once-a-year token gesture but the first step in a long-term change in travel attitudes and behaviour.

The campaign has proved so popular it has even received support from the Prime Minister Tony Blair, who issued praise for this and a planned autumn walk to school week, which includes the Dorset County Council initiated International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 2.

"The Government is committed to making the journey to and from school safe and healthier for children," said Mr Blair.

"It welcomes initiatives such as the UK National Walk to School Weeks and International Walk to School Day."

Robert Smith, Dorset County Council's road safety team leader, who has developed the initiative both locally, nationally and internationally, said: "More Dorset schools than ever will be supporting us this year in an effort to reduce congestion, pollution and danger on the journey to school and, at the same time, increase health, fitness and safety."

"Walk to School Week provides a great excuse to break your morning routine, leave the car at home and have a refreshing walk to school," added Bournemouth Borough Council's road safety officer Nevil Tillman.

"It allows you to spend quality time with your children and reduces the number of cars on the road around school. It is the safe healthy option, so why not give it a try?"

Walk to School Week, which runs until Friday will pave the way for the launch of a summer Daily Echo campaign to encourage more parents to take the healthier option to and from school.

The campaign will aim to target parents, pupils and residents with some free time on their hands to help set up and run walking buses in schools in Dorset, Poole and Bournemouth LEAs.

Figures from a major bi-annual survey of daily travel modes taken by children in Dorset last year reveal that more than 45 per cent of primary school children regularly travel to school by car. Just over 41 per cent walk, a very small number cycle and the rest travel by bus.

When parents were asked why they don't accompany their children to school on foot Dorset parents who regularly drive cited convenience, distance and the weather as the main reasons.

Despite this a recent survey conducted by the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) has revealed that there are a great many benefits to walking to school.

Nearly nine out of ten parents who do the route by foot said it was an ideal way to meet new people.

The survey, which questioned more than 500 people, said that the school gate was a better place to meet new people than pubs, clubs, evening classes or the supermarket.

Over half considered their walk to school as an opportunity to socialise and catch up on news and fourth fifths believed the walk to school was a good way to get some daily exercise.

Health experts also back this finding. They recommend that adults should be physically active for at least half an hour on five or more days per week and children and young people should aim for an hour a day.

It is estimated that a brisk one-mile walk to the school and back takes around half an hour and burns 150 calories.

A walk to school doesn't just benefit you physically, it is also believed to improve learning and general awareness.

A DTLR survey revealed that nine out of ten teachers consider that the walk to school actually makes children brighter, more alert and ready for the first class of the day.