Education
Working in Schools and Colleges
Learning to be safe on the roads is a life-long process. We work with parents, carers and teaching staff to help children develop their road safety awareness and encourage good road safety behaviours from an early age.
We also work in partnership with West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service to combine our resources and produce promotional campaigns to raise awareness and promote behavioural change across Sandwell. We are very keen to work with you to help reduce the number of children and young people seriously killed or injured on our roads
Get in touch
If you require road safety input in to any community events, to book an assembly, workshop, classroom session or to discuss a campaign, please email Road_Safety@sandwell.gov.uk. For any other road safety concerns on the highway, log onto My Sandwell or call 0121 368 1177.
Bikeability
During Key Stage 2, Year 6, pupils are given the chance to participate in on-road cycle training. this is a basic course designed to give children confidence to cycle on the roads and to practice the routines they need to manoeuvre safely at junctions. For more information please email Sandwell Bikeability
School Travel in Sandwell
Schools can encourage parents, pupils and school staff to be TravelWise during home to school journeys by setting up a travel plan. This can also provide travel advice when pupils are changing schools, moving into the world of employment or going to college. Schools can register with Modeshift STARS and then set up a national standard school travel plan, for free. This is described further in Sandwell's Sustainable Modes of Travel Strategy (SMOTS). Email transport@sandwell.gov.uk or phone 0121 569 4261 for more information.
Community Engagement
Safer 6
Safer 6 is an annual six-week autumn campaign across our six towns in partnership with the fire service, police and other organisations to promote crime prevention, safety and healthy living at a time of year when crime and anti-social behaviour can often rise.
Driving Safer for Longer
For many older people a driving licence is an important symbol of independence Sandwell, Dudley, Wolverhampton, and Walsall Councils along with West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire Service and Highways England are committed to helping people retain their independent mobility whilst remaining safe on the road.
Details of the course dates are advertised via a press release and social media as well as on this page in the Latest News, Events & Updates section.
School Crossing Patrols
The School Crossing Patrol Team provides 51 School Crossing Patrols across the Borough to ensure travel to and from school is as safe as possible.
On 1 July 2008, the School Crossing Patrol Guidelines were published by LARSOA, the professional body for Road Safety Officers nationally. The Guidelines include the safety criteria by which School Crossing Patrol locations are assessed. The School Crossing Patrol assessment criteria use the formula CV squared as its basis, where C is the number of children and V is the number of Vehicles. The relationship CV squared provides a measure of both the potential conflict and the delays experienced by pedestrians. It also accounts for the need to help small numbers of pedestrians to cross roads safely when traffic flows were heavy and the delays long; and conversely, large numbers of pedestrians when traffic was lighter and the delays shorter.
The criteria also include a series of ‘Adjustment’ factors based on examples of known site conditions. The Guidelines recommend that the count should take into account the situation at each location and the times at which children are travelling. Flows of child pedestrians crossing the road on their way to and from school are generally concentrated into short periods of time. The heaviest pedestrian and vehicle flows usually occur during morning journeys between 08.15 and 09.15.
The Crossing Safety assessments are reviewed on an annual basis.
For details of any vacancies please see the Jobs and Careers section of this website.
Primary School Provisions
Early Years Provision
We visit pre-school groups and nurseries to begin introducing very young children to the language of road safety. Through storytelling, songs and interactive activities we familiarise children with safer crossing places and the importance of being seated in a child car seat.
KS1 & KS2 Provision
Road Safety Assemblies
We are available to deliver a road safety assembly in every school, key stage 1, key stage 2 or whole school. This allows us the opportunity to re-enforce vital road safety messages, respond to any changes in the school’s local area and support schools in ensuring children arrive safely at school.
Digital Road Safety is website-based learning, based on recognised pedestrian training techniques which is available to all Sandwell schools completely free of charge. Increased knowledge can encourage walking to school and healthy lifestyles.
Research shows that children learn road safety best by being immersed in the environment. Aimed at year one and two, pupils view the road side from the unique viewpoint of the pedestrian and by looking right and left they are in a tangible situation.
Children learn how to manage driveways, an effective kerb drill, how to cross safely if necessary near parked cars, and how to cross safely near junctions.
Expect the Unexpected workshop
This is an interactive workshop aimed at children who hold leadership positions in school, such as safeguarding ambassadors, Junior PCSO school council members, prefects, buddies, peer mentors.
Children will have the opportunity through a hands-on activity and discussion to explore a specific area of road safety and then they will be encouraged with the aid of resources to cascade their learning to the rest of the school community.
Transition from Primary to Secondary School
It has been recognised that one of the most dangerous stages in a child's development is the transition from Primary to Secondary school. Young people are often for the first time expected to travel independently and be responsible for their own decision making on their journey to school.
We can support year 6 classes in their endeavours to plan routes, remember road safety rules and manage distractions.
Using public transport? Check out Network for West Midlands for lots of useful information to make that journey safely by using The Transport for West Midlands (TfMW) Travel Choices Team.
Secondary School Provisions
Pedestrian safety and managing distractions remains as important as ever however as students’ progress through Secondary school, the focus changes to the prospect of driving.
The majority of road safety education in Secondary schools is delivered in partnership with West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Police, through a variety of initiatives and campaigns, as detailed below.
West Midlands Fire Service offer “Your Choice on the Road” to year 10 students. Delivered by their Key Stage 3-4 educator team the session aims to help young people develop a responsible attitude to driving and when travelling as a passenger
Road Safety Partnership Campaigns
Safer Arrival at School Campaign 'Be Cool, Walk to School' - Available for any Key Stage or Year Group
Getting children to school and home again safely can cause stress and anxiety and concerns are often raised by schools, parents and residents regarding traffic congestion and irresponsible parking near to schools. The safety of children is paramount, and everyone needs to work in partnership to make the areas around schools as safe as possible.
We can work with schools to launch a parking campaign to raise awareness of these concerns to children and parents.
We are keen to encourage as many families as possible to walk to school. We will work with schools to create Park & Stride sites or the creation of a walking bus. At secondary school students are encouraged to walk or cycle to school. All these measures help to reduce congestion at the school gate and improve air quality.
Children can enter a competition to design banners and/or signs that can be placed on school railings and lighting columns to encourage increased walking to school, parking legally and responsibly and showing respect for resident’s driveways.
We work in partnership with our parking team and West Midlands Police to enforce illegal parking to minimize the risk of injury as parents/carers and children journey to and from school.
To learn more about parking restrictions and the consequences of failing to park legally, please visit our Enforcement page.
We can signpost schools to other organisations that can also support increased sustainable modes of traveling to school such as:
Community Speedwatch - Available for any Key Stage or Year Group
Reduced speeds around schools and the immediate area are key to the safety of everyone.
We strive to raise awareness to students and their families of the wide-ranging consequences of speeding, to their potential victim, the individual, their loved ones, their home and work life and their finances.
We work in partnership with West Midlands Police to engage pupils and young people to actively record the speed of passing vehicles using a speed radar gun. This enables the students to increase their judgement of speeds travelled, and West Midlands Police to contact any speeding offenders and make them aware of their speeds and consequences for the future.
Kids to Camera was developed as part of our Kids Court campaign with year 5 pupils from St. Matthews CE Primary school. The children state facts and ask hard hitting questions of speeding drivers to make them more aware of their actions and potentially life changing actions.
Drive 2 Arrive - Aimed at students in Year 12
Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Dudley Councils in conjunction with our partner agencies hold a young driver event at Bescot Stadium, Walsall to enable sixth form aged students to benefit from crucial driving messages.
Over 4 days 320 prospective new drivers from Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Dudley schools and Colleges will benefit from important information associated with becoming a responsible driver. During the day students will experience 5 interactive scenarios presented by West Midlands Fire Service (Casualty Reduction Team), Central Motorway Police Group, The Beacon (Young Person’s Substance Misuse Service) and Highways England.
Each student will also have a practical driving session with an instructor from the ‘Young Driver’ company.
The event is free to the school and students attending and the outcome of the day is to equip the students with knowledge to make them better, safer drivers and passengers and above all give them the confidence to speak out when they know that they are vulnerable and in a situation in which they feel uncomfortable
For the One I Love - Aimed at students from Year 11 onwards
This campaign launched annually on Valentine’s Day has the focus of looking out for the one you love, be it a girlfriend, boyfriend, mates or family members. The campaign identifies the terrible consequences for drivers and passengers when things go wrong.
Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Dudley Councils, remind young drivers of the potentially catastrophic consequences of inappropriate driving behaviour
The campaign through engaging discussion and a visually impactive display asks young drivers to take responsibility for their passengers. Coping strategies are discussed encouraging passengers to speak out if they find themselves in a situation in a car in which they feel uncomfortable
School Street at Ferndale Primary School
“Putting Children First”
Sandwell’s first ‘School Street’ is at the Ferndale Avenue entrance of Ferndale Primary School, Great Barr!
School Streets is a nationally recognised project to promote sustainable travel and reduce the impact of school gate parking.
This initiative restricts vehicle movement and parking on Ferndale Avenue to improve road safety, reduce congestion and pollution and encourage walking to school which is good for physical and mental health.
Benefits of a ‘School Street’:
- It makes it easier for everyone to walk to and from the school gate
- Fewer cars mean cleaner air
- The safer environment encourages walking to school
- It is good for mental and physical health and improves fitness
- Children can socialise with their friends
How does it work?
Highways Services have initially introduced an experimental Traffic Regulation Order that will be in force for 18 months from June 2023 to restrict vehicle movement and parking in Ferndale Avenue during the restricted times stated below –
Monday to Friday during term times between:
- 08:15 – 09:00
- 14:45 – 15:30
Only drivers who have an essential permit will be able to enter, leave or park in Ferndale Avenue during the restricted times, e.g., residents, school staff, emergency services and to access Ferndale Primary School for children with assisted needs.
When resources allow, school staff will place a temporary barrier at the end of Ferndale Avenue at the junction of Appleton Avenue during the restricted times.
Top Road Safety Tips!
- Please make sure that children understand some vehicles may still be moving along Ferndale Avenue
- Always remain on the pavement, holding hands with young children at all times
- Why not ‘Park & Stride’ – park within a ten-minute walk of the school
- Walking gives families the opportunity to practice their road safety skills together
Deputy Head teacher of Ferndale Primary School, Rachel Rought, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be the first school in Sandwell to have an official School Street, which enables our children and their families to walk to school safely. We have received very positive feedback so far from our families and local residents and, most importantly, the children themselves who are enjoying walking into school without the fear of being injured by a passing vehicle.”
Shaloamei, Alex-Jenson, Ishaam join Strider and staff and officers to launch the new School Street
Following the 18-month experimental period for the ‘School Street’ at Ferndale Primary School, consideration may be given to other schools in Sandwell in similar locations.