Congestion and parking issues near school gates
Here are things that your school might want to consider:
- Share some information with parents and carers on your school newsletter and website promoting good driving behaviour around the school gate. We have put together some key messages about safer parking around the school gates
- Organise a formal or informal Park and Stride scheme. The UK charity Living Streets offers some guidance on how to set up a Park and Stride scheme in schools.
- Upload on your website your school's 10 minute walking map to help parents plan their children's route to and from school. If parents choose to drive, they can use this map to find streets where they can park safely and legally away from the school gate, and walk the rest of the journey.
- Ask parents driving to school to sign a pledge where they commit to driving and parking safely and legally all the time.
- Run a parking campaign to raise awareness: you could involve children, ward councillors, residents, road safety officers and parking enforcement officers.
School crossing patrol
School crossing patrols are near schools to help children and their parents cross the road safely before and after school during term time. The leaflet giving important information to parents and drivers about school patrol signs and actions.
For any queries about this service or to work as a school crossing patrol, please email schoolcrossingpatrol@plymouth.gov.uk.
Road safety education
Children under five
Nursery staff and Early Years teachers can borrow our Road Safety Pack for children under five which includes road safety equipment and suggested lesson plans. For more information, email roadsafetyeducation@plymouth.gov.uk.
KS2
We have purchased the use of Safer Steps, an online road safety resource for KS2 children and it is available to your school children free of charge.
Learning is made fun with Lilly, Dexter and Joel. Topics covered include:
- The Green Cross Code
- high visibility clothing
- safer places to walk
- choosing safer places to cross
- how to cross safely between parked cars.
Children will be able to download a summary of the modules they complete, as a way to revisit and reinforce their learning.
Safer Steps is a digital road safety learning package for KS2 children (particularly year 3 to 4). Divided into six chapters, it teaches children to be aware of different risks when in or near the road, and it prompts them to act to stay safe. Children will be able to revisit the online style comic as and when they want or need to. Safer Steps can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, and tablets, therefore making it easily accessible.
If you would like the pupils in your school to access and complete the Safer Steps chapters, please email roadsafetyeducation@plymouth.gov.uk to receive the log-in details.
KS1 to 4
Think! is the Government designated website for national road safety campaigns. They have published a complete Road Safety curriculum for KS1 to KS4. You can access all the resources and lesson plans on the Think! website.
KS5
Road crashes are the number one killer of 17 to 24-year-olds in the UK. For this reason, the three campaigns below target young people who will soon be driving or are novice drivers:
- Learn2Live: find out what Learn2Live is and the events they have organised in the past.
- The Honest Truth: learn about the 10 most common factors of road traffic collisions amongst young drivers.
- My Red Thumb: is an annual campaign that encourages young people to stop being distracted by their mobile phone whilst driving.
Road safety guidance for parents and carers
Road safety
- Teaching road safety: a guide for parents, by RoSPA (Royal Society for the prevention of accidents)
Scooting safely
- Safe and considerate scooting, by Brighton and Hove City Council
- Scooter skills and safety for older children and teenagers, video by MADD Gear and Sustrans
Cycling safely
- How to check that a bike is safe to ride, video by Sustrans
- How to fit a child's bike, video by Sustrans
For further support with road safety education, you can contact the Road Safety Team. Email roadsafetyeducation@plymouth.gov.uk.
Road safety training
Children can access the following cycling training in school:
- Early years - Bikeability balance
- KS1 - Bikeability Level 1
- KS2 - Bikeability Level 2
- KS3 - Bikeability Level 3
Schools can also access free services from Sustrans Bike-it Plus officers, including scooter training, events, classroom activities, or bike maintenance.