Road safety education needed in schools

Road safety needs to be part of the national curriculum according to charity report

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A report by road safety charity, Brake, reveals the need for consistent road safety education in schools.

Budget shortfalls, a lack of resources, qualified staff and not being a curriculum requirement are impeding essential teaching of road safety.

Gaining the views of teachers and educational advisers is an important part of the report. As part of their contribution, they advised on the development of resources to support rod safety teaching in schools .

Road crashes are the leading cause of death for children and young people worldwide [1]. In the UK, more than six children under the age of 15 are killed or seriously injured on roads every day, mainly while walking or cycling [2,3].

Learning lessons

There is currently no statutory guidance on the matter. While PSHE or Citizenship lessons often cover the topic, the frequency, methodology, quality and effectiveness of the teaching is inconsistent. This could all change with the introduction of legal, national obligations and effective resources.

An overwhelming majority of participants supported the conclusions. Including road safety education in the national curriculum will also lead to improved resources, training and delivery.

Unfortunately, though time remains an issue: How can space be found in the curriculum without impinging on other core subjects?

Studying

Brake’s report includes 12 key recommendations. These can be used by anyone who is developing resources to teach road safety in schools.

The report includes recommendations that resources should:

  • meet curriculum requirements;
  • state clear learning objectives;
  • meet teachers’ needs;
  • easily fit into a tightly packed curriculum;
  • be engaging and appealing;
  • provide high levels of interactivity;
  • follow teaching theory and best practice;
  • reflect the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND);
  • provide differentiation activities to support less able pupils and challenge more able pupils;
  • collaboration with teachers, pupils, parents and road safety experts; and
  • be compatible with digital learning platforms that schools use.

“Road crashes are a major cause of death and injury among the young,” states Sophie Dilley, managing editor at Brake, “With the risk rising as children reach secondary school age and gain more independence.

“There is overwhelming support among teachers and the wider education sector for road safety to be given a place in the curriculum. This underlines the need for teachers to be involved with the creation of new resources that meet their needs and enable them to achieve their learning objectives.”

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