Please close this window to return to the LARSOA news pages

Second Steps success

Key Stage one pupils from Portreath Primary School have become the first children to successfully complete Cornwall County Council's Second Steps child pedestrian training scheme.

The scheme, launched in January 2005, is designed to teach three key pedestrian skills to five - seven year old children over the academic year. The training programme is progressive, with each phase building on the foundation laid by the earlier phases.

"As more and more people travel by car children's practical road safety experience is diminishing," said Leigh -Anne Parfitt, child pedestrian safety co-ordinator. "The Second Steps scheme aims to address this by enabling children to learn through practical experience at the road side."

The scheme's success at Portreath is due to the commitment of volunteer instructors and support of the school and its staff. Evaluation carried out before the training started showed 81% of children who were shown a photograph of a roadside situation would have crossed where it was unsafe. Once the children completed the training a staggering 95% chose the safest route.

A Leaflet, Surviving on jungle street, has been produced to accompany the training scheme,

For further information contact the Cornwall's road safety unit on 01872 222000.

www.larsoa.org.uk