Road Safety Policy

Rationale
Ballymena Primary School is situated beside a busy thoroughfare and on the perimeter of the town centre. Our children come to school by a variety of means: by bus, by car, on bicycles and walking. It is vital that they are aware of the dangers and how they can minimise them.
Very young children have difficulty judging speed and distance, and are easily distracted. Children are inexperienced road users, do not see potential dangers and too often, make mistakes.
Teaching road safety to under 11s can prevent children being killed or injured and improves their chances of being responsible road users throughout their lives.
Road safety training will

• look at risks
• develop knowledge and skills
• encourage children to make safe choices

Aims
To ensure that children, their parents and teachers are safe on the roads.
Ballymena Primary School recognises the threat of death and injuries on roads to pupils, parents and teachers and has prepared this policy to reduce that threat.

• All pupils will learn road safety through a cross-section of curriculum subjects and will be given the knowledge, skills and attitudes to make safe choices when using roads.
• Pupils’ learning will build on their existing skills and will include roadside training, initially in the structured play unit, in the playground and eventually at the roadside.
• Children will be taught how to safely use various pedestrian crossings: the school patrol man, zebra and pelican crossings and, where no crossing exists, safe places to cross. They will be introduced to the Green Cross Code and strongly advised to use it at all times when crossing roads.
• The school encourages the use of other interested agencies in the delivery of road safety education and regularly uses the services of the NEELB Road Safety Officer and the Community and Traffic Officers of the PSNI.
• The school is aware of the routes commonly used by children and parents, identifies potential dangers and addresses these dangers with relevant officers at council and Board level.
• P7 pupils will be provided with training on the safe use of bicycles, in the form of Cycling Proficiency.

Parents

• It is vital for the safety of all, that parents observe the road markings at the school gates. This point is addressed in the school’s Health and Safety policy.
• Parents must ensure that children are restrained correctly in cars
• Parents should help their children develop road safety skills and encourage them to become independent and responsible road users, before allowing them to walk or cycle to school unaccompanied.

This policy forms part of the school’s overall Health Education policy and will be monitored, reviewed and amended regularly and as required.

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