STOP!  LOOK!  LISTEN!  THINK!

At Phil & Jim, we encourage all members of our school community to travel to and from school on foot or by cycling.

**Please remember that no vehicle should be driving over the bridge on Aristotle Lane between 8:30am and 9:15am and 2:30pm and 3:45pm without prior authorisation. **

 

Advice for Parents

By setting a good example you can ensure your child remains safe and develops road and traffic awareness. Please see Oxfordshire County Council’s: Walking with children/365 alive for advice and tips.

 

You might also want to follow these simple tips when crossing the road with your child:

 

On the Pavement

When walking near a road it is a good idea to:

  • hold your child’s hand
  • look out for and encourage your child to be aware of hidden entrances or driveways crossing the pavement
  • make sure your child walks on the side of the pavement away from the traffic. It can be hard for motorists to see small children, especially when they are reversing, so take extra care.

 

Crossing the Road

When the time comes to teach your child about crossing the road, remember the following:

  • always set a good example by choosing a safe place to cross and explaining what you’re doing
  • let your child help you decide where and when it’s safe to cross
  • tell your child that it’s safest to cross at a pedestrian crossing or a crossing patrol
  • tell your child not to cross where they can’t see far along the road
  • explain that they should not try to cross a road between parked cars; drivers won’t be able to see them very well and the cars might start moving
  • use the Green Cross Code with your child; explain that you have to stop at the kerb, then look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing
  • when it’s safe to cross, walk straight across the road and keep looking and listening out for traffic
  • remind your children to concentrate – they may be easily distracted, forget what they have been taught and dash out into the road
  • make sure that anyone else looking after your child follows the same road safety rules that you do

 

Pedestrian Crossings

You might feel that pedestrian crossings are safe, but they can still be dangerous for children if they don’t take care. Remember to:

  • explain that pedestrians have to wait on the pavement until all the traffic coming from both directions has stopped – only then is it safe to cross
  • explain that if there is an island in the middle of the road, your child should treat each half of the crossing as a separate crossing
  • tell your child it’s important to keep looking and listening while crossing, in case a driver has not seen them
  • warn your child to watch for cyclists or motorcyclists who might not have seen them
  • make sure your child can be seen easily; bright or fluorescent clothes are best during the day and reflective materials work well at night

 

Further Information

  • Footsteps Parents Guide (The Footsteps programme is simple for parents to use as it can be carried out in normal everyday situations such as walking to school or to the local shops. Rather than telling children what to do, parents are encouraged to ask lots of open questions to make the children think about the decisions they are making. Making these decisions safely while in the company of a supporting adult will mean they will be better prepared for dealing with roads and traffic once they begin going out on their own.)
  • Road Safety for Year 6

 

Bikeability

Bikeability is a cycle training programme. It’s about gaining practical skills and understanding how to cycle on today’s roads. Bikeability gives everyone the skills and confidence for all kinds of cycling.

There are three Bikeability levels, each designed to improve cycling skills, no matter what is known already. Levels 1, 2 and 3 take trainees from the basics of balance and control, all the way to planning and making an independent journey on busier roads.

This course is designed to ensure the children can not only ride their bike but ride them safely.  On the first morning, the children are taught how to make safety checks on their bikes and helmets to make sure they are safe to use. They ride on the playground to practise skills such as ‘lifesaving looks’, sharing the road, and emergency stops.

The children then practise on the road, doing U-turns, starting and stopping safely and overtaking parked vehicles.

It is presented by trained staff from the Oxfordshire Bikeability team and is delivered to pupils (year groups are confirmed by Mr Ansell each academic year) generally during the summer of the year. Parents and carers will be sent information a few weeks before commencement about the programme and are asked to sign up for this programme to learn a real life skill.

If you want to find out more about the programme please visit the Bikeability website.