Road safety and sustainable travel for schools

Key stage one

Children will develop their road safety knowledge through various classroom scenarios. Sessions include in-car safety for young children, emphasizing seatbelt use, appropriate car restraints and role play. Pedestrian skills training starts in the year 2 classroom and continues with a practical roadside session. Additional follow-up may be suggested.

Key stage two

Pupils engage in an interactive session with a model ramp and car to learn about car safety, including the importance of seatbelts. They also discuss the impact of poor driving behaviour on pedestrian safety. Additionally, they create a road safety campaign to raise awareness in their school. Practical pedestrian skills training includes classroom and roadside sessions, with potential follow-ups by staff.

Year 6 transition to high school

This practical lesson prepares pupils for independent journeys to secondary school, addressing key issues, decision-making, journey planning tools, hazards, distractions, and ways to overcome challenges with road safety trainers and school staff.

Road safety Christmas pantomime

Our road safety team perform this fun whole school interactive pantomime, that has various road safety messages attached.

Road safety assemblies

Usually delivered to a whole school, these can focus either on general road safety issues or be tailored to address a specific issue within your school.

Scooter training

An introductory session in the classroom followed by practical sessions either in the playground or using local roads. For years 3 and 5 only.

Bikeability cycle training

Cycle training in Leeds is currently provided free of charge. It is delivered by our contracted provider Cycle Leeds.

To book cycle training, phone 07504 282 133 or email: info@cycleleeds.co.uk.

Safer travel assembly (years 7 and 8)

Key road safety messages for a larger group. Covers specific issues in Leeds and on roads close to your school. This is particularly useful after transition to secondary school.

Safer travel workshop (year 7)

Interactive session which includes discussions about concepts such as peer pressure, distractions, risk and choices.

Pre-driver or new driver session (years 12 and 13)

Hard hitting session delivered by West Yorkshire Police which includes testimony from people who have lost loved ones in accidents. It has important safety messages relevant to new drivers, those thinking about starting to drive and passengers of new drivers.

Smaller group workshop

To help prevent serious or fatal collisions, the Trusted Training and Compliance (TTC) group is offering fully funded Young Driver workshops to schools and colleges for students aged 16 and over.

Led by expert trainers, these two-hour sessions include road safety topics like speeding, mobile phone use and managing distractions. To book, contact contactus@ttc-uk.com.

Good Egg safety guides

A number of road safety guides covering topics including child car seats, cycling and advice for new drivers.

Good Egg Safety Guides

Think.gov.uk resources

A range of road safety resources and lesson plans suitable for pupils from foundation stage through to Key Stage 4.

Find more help and resources through the Think! road safety campaign website.

School gate parking scheme

If your school has issues with inappropriate or dangerous parking outside the school gates at pick up and drop off time or you are concerned about the level of congestion near your school, request our School Gate Parking pack on Leeds for Learning which has ideas and initiatives to help.

Borrow a speed indicating device

Schools can borrow a speed indicating device that you can use at the roadside with groups of pupils to monitor the speed of traffic and remind drivers to slow down.

We provide full training on how to use the equipment, risk assessments, a lesson plan, and data recording sheets. Contact us to find out more.

Walk Once a Week (WOW)

WOW is an initiative to encourage parents and pupils to walk at least once a week throughout the school year. Rewards or prizes can be awarded to pupils who manage this. You can request our WOW pack documents will help you set up the scheme in your school:

• school certificate
• parent letter
• school letter
• wall chart

Park and stride

A park and stride scheme is ideal for families living too far away from school to be able to walk. It means that children can at least walk part of the way to school and is great for parents who then have to drive on to work.

It involves parents parking at a set location away from the school (for example a local supermarket or leisure centre) and children walking the rest of the way, either by themselves, with other children or with their parent or carer. If you think a park and stride scheme would work at your school, then we may be able to support you in setting it up. Contact us for more information.

Walking bus

Walking buses operate in many schools around Leeds. They involve a group of children walking to or from school under the supervision of at least two trained adults, one leading the group (driver) and one at the rear (conductor). Walking buses are usually run by parent volunteers. They follow a set route and timetable, with pick up points - bus stops at the start and along the way. Request our walking bus pack to find out more.

We can offer you support to create a school travel plan. These plans promote safe, sustainable and less car dependent patterns of travel. They aim to reduce congestion and increase walking and scooting, cycling and public transport trips.

School Travel Advisers provide support to schools to develop and help them implement travel plans.

Travel plans may be required to support a planning application. The Supplementary Planning Document (PDF 490KB) provides details on what information to include in your travel plan.

You can also get free support to create your travel plan through Modeshift STARS.