Russell Scott Primary School, Greater Manchester

Challenge:

Russell Scott Primary School in Denton, Tameside, is a town centre school surrounded by busy roads, a motorway intersection, retail park and very little designated parking. The school proposed a project to cut congestion around the school gates to make it safer for pupils and reduce air pollution. It was supported by the Police and the Council.

Backed by the local  Police, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and Traffic Enforcement, a group of junior PSCOs were chosen  to take the lead in encouraging parents to be more considerate about parking. The Junior PCSOs spoke about road safety and air pollution, as well as encouraging them to make different choices like walking to school.

They took the following action:

• They ran a poster competition: the best entries would be used to publicise the campaign.
• They selected 12 Junior PCSOs from the School Council. These were confident children, along with a few who needed a confidence booster.
• They ordered road side traffic signs from: www.signs2schools.co.uk and these were placed outside school each morning as a reminder to park away from school.
• Traffic Enforcement pouches were purchased and advice tickets the size of the pouches were printed off and slotted inside.
• Letters were sent out to parents explaining what the campaign was aiming to do and what to expect as we sought their cooperation and understanding.
• A School Assembly was held by a Traffic Officer, Police Officer and the Councils lead on Clean Air and Pollution and the Junior PCSOs were introduced to the rest of the school.

On that first morning, their Community Police Officer, PCSO and traffic enforcement accompanied the children out onto the streets outside school.

Outcome:

• Within a few days, the streets around school were free from cars parking inconsiderately with lots of families choosing to walk to school and leaving the car at home. This actually grew and grew and now the majority of children are walking to school which is fantastic!
• After a few weeks, the need for enforcement tickets were few and far between so we swapped them for Thank You stickers that we had printed with our message and logo on. The children gave parents and children a sticker whilst saying thank you to them for walking to school.
• To mark their successful PCSO campaign, on Clean Air Day 2018, they ran a Clean Air Fete along with Transport for Greater Manchester and their own Council.

Getting started…

The Anti-idling campaign teaching resource is designed to teach your students about idling and why it is dangerous. It encourages students to raise awareness about this issue and how they can participate in activities to do this, such as a monitoring activity outside of school and an anti-idling campaign.

Take a look at the Clean Air Day resources, which includes a ‘How to run a no-idling event’ guide: www.cleanairday.org.uk/free-resources/community