Forget the bus, more and more children are using 'push power' to get to school in style on today's latest must-have accessory - the scooter.

The two-wheeled foot operated vehicle is back in fashion, with many pupils opting to scoot to school instead of travelling by car or bus.

And in a bid to meet demand for the increase in popularity, schools in Oxfordshire are installing dedicated parking spaces for the scooters.

Lots of pupils at St Swithun's Primary School, in Kennington, near Oxford, regularly scoot to school.

Eamonn Feeley, six, of Hazelnut Path in the village, said: "It is quicker to get to school on my scooter."

Lucas Vause, five, of St Swithun's Road, also in Kennington, who scoots to school twice a week, said: "It is really popular. The scooter parking is nearly always full up."

Molly Magrane, seven, of Poplar Grove, said: "It is good to go on a ride on the way to school."

William Robinson, six, of Bagley Wood Road, said scooting to school was much better than walking.

Ella Rice, six, of The Avenue, said: "It's fun. It is good exercise except only for one leg!"

St Swithun's headteacher Jill Evans said scooting had really taken off - and the parking spaces meant parents no longer had to take their children's scooters home in between lessons.

She said: "Scooters have really come back into fashion and are really trendy.

"The parking spaces are all part of our travel plan to encourage more people to come to school either by bus or scooter instead of car, particularly as parking near the school can be pretty chaotic."

Faringdon Junior School headteacher Paul Turner said: "Coming to school on a scooter gets children into good habits about travelling short distances, without relying on polluting cars."

Other schools which have installed the racks are Wheatley Primary School, Wheatley; Manor School in Didcot; RAF Benson Community Primary School, Benson; Eynsham Community Primary School, Eynsham; Faringdon Junior School, Faringdon; North Kidlington Primary School, Kidlington and St John the Evangelist in Carterton.

Six of the schools have 10 spaces for scooters, St Swithun's has 20, and Faringdon Junior School has 40.

By early next year, 200 new scooter parking places will have been installed in schools run by oxfordshire County Council, funded by the Better Ways to School Programme, which encourages parents not to drive their children to school.