At Birchwood Primary School we place a huge emphasis on Road Safety as part of our PSHE learning.
We have good links with the Warwickshire Road Safety Club who regularly come in to our school to support teaching and learning across all year groups.
In addition, our Junior Road Safety Officers also help to create a whole school community aspect when raising awareness on how to be safe around roads.
We are always conscious that the road outside of our school is extremely busy at drop off and pick up times.
We regularly remind children about being safe around traffic and how to cross roads safely. We urge parents to be extra vigilant during these busy times too, especially with younger children who may not yet have learnt the dangers.
Older children should be reminded to:
- Stop, look, listen and think! before crossing.
- Not cross between parked vehicles.
- Cross at designated crossings where possible.
- Behave sensibly when near roads and crossing roads.
It is advised that younger children should:
- hold their parents hand where possible when near or crossing roads
- be taught to stop look listen and think!
- not be allowed to run and play near roadsides.
It is also a good idea for children to wear reflective items when it is getting darker or when the weather causes poor visibility. Like all of our families at Birchwood, we want to ensure the safety of the children.
Key Messages to Remember:
When it is icy, be careful when walking along paths or across the road. The roads outside our school get extremely busy, especially at drop off and pick up times.
Remember to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN before crossing the road.
Be Bright…Be Seen…. (Not just in clothes but also in your thinking.)
We are always on the lookout for events and activities to raise awareness of how to stay safe when out near traffic. Next week (week commencing 16th May) is ‘Walk to School’ week. Children at Birchwood are going to be encouraged to try that little bit harder next week to walk to school where possible. If you are able to walk the whole way, amazing, but if not, we are encouraging you to park a bit further than normal and walk some of the distance. By everybody doing this, we will be helping the environment by reducing emissions and reducing our global footprint. We will also be reducing the amount of cars and traffic outside school, making it a safer place for all.
Junior Road Safety Officers will be supporting this within school, encouraging their peers to walk where they can and we will also be collecting data within Maths Meetings to measure how many children walk to school across the week. We would really appreciate your help and support with walking to school where you can and increasing the message of road safety.
The key message – make sure traffic can see you at all times – is reinforced by showing pedestrians and cyclists wearing reflective and fluorescent clothes.
At Birchwood, the Road Safety Officers work hard thinking up exciting ways to inform both children and parents on simple and easy ways to stay safe during the winter months. Our 'Glow Day' was a great success!