The Hampshire Road Safety team have been delivering some life-saving messages this week to students at Harrow Way Community School. The series of workshops, aimed at all Years 7, 9 and 9 are designed to make students more aware of the dangers of the road.

Kerry Holton, Acting Head of PSHE (personal, social and health education) said: “Up until year 7 most children are either taken to school by a parent or get a bus and are dropped off outside the school gate. Then suddenly they get to secondary school which sees some make their own way, either cycling or walking and they are ill-prepared for the dangers. It’s not just in-coming Year 7’s who need guidance, we also find Years 8 and 9 need reminding of road safety – as they are also so easily distracted and not concentrating on the task at hand – getting to school or home, safely!”

For Years 7 and 8, the Hampshire team focused their workshop on cycle safety which was expertly brought to life by a hard hitting ‘theatre in education’ performance. Year 9’s were given a distraction workshop which looked at the dangers of the road – cycling, using a mobile phone and having headphones in. With many students often walking to school with friends, the workshop also included a section of how said-friends can be a huge distraction and therefore another danger to be aware of.

Hampshire’s Road Safety Team deliver and develop road safety education, training and publicity initiatives to raise awareness about road safety and the actions people can take to help keep themselves safe. By the end of this year Harrow Way aimed for all students in Year 7, 8 and 9 to have received some kind of education from the Road Safety Team.