SCHOOLS across the region are taking part in the first Great North School Travel Survey.

On Wednesday, 1,275 North-East schools will take part in the survey.

Pupils will be asked how they usually get to school, to help councils monitor travel trends.

The number of children travelling to and from school by car has been steadily increasing, with a decline in the number of children walking to and from school.

The Government target is for every school in the country to have a school travel plan by 2010 to encourage parents to leave cars at home.

The aim of a school travel plan is to increase the number of youngsters walking, cycling and using public transport.

It is hoped the survey will show the effectiveness of school travel plans that are already in place.

Schools from 12 local authorities are involved in the survey.

It is the first time a region-wide travel survey has been conducted on the same day.

Welcoming the survey, Schools Standards Minister Stephen Twigg said: "Twice as many children are driven to school now in comparison with 20 years ago, and most of these journeys are less than two miles, meaning decreasing numbers of children walking or cycling, with serious health implications in terms of lack of daily exercise, and a growing proportion of children who are overweight.

"School travel plans are an excellent way of delivering safe, green, and healthy ways of getting to school."