JRSOs help make Caerphilly schools safer for pupils

A Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSO) scheme that is being piloted in 12 schools in Caerphilly County Borough has gone so well that three more schools will join in September when the scheme officially launches.

JRSOs perform a range of tasks including maintaining a notice board and the JRSO website, organising competitions and tackling road safety problems around the school. In turn, they receive a special JRSO pack and a reflective high visibility uniform.

The scheme is linked to citizenship and encourages pupils to think about road safety issues around their school and community. It fits with the curriculum and involves the use of Mathematics, Science, English, Welsh and Computers. JRSOs sign a Pledge of Duty stating that they will do their best to influence pupils in the school to act safely and never to act in a dangerous manner.

"The scheme will fit in very well here," said Mr Glavin, headteacher at Ty Sign Junior School. "There has been a lot of engineering work taking place through Safe Routes to School to improve pupils’ safety and encourage parents to drop off pupils in appropriate places. I am delighted that the pupils themselves are helping us address what is undoubtedly a problem in the majority of primary schools."

JRSOs at Bryn Primary School have helped reduce the number of cars parking outside the school. They distributed leaflets to parents asking them to help make their school safer by not parking in front of the school, and as a result the number of cars parking outside the school gates reduced.

"JRSOs have been tackling issues such as dangerous parking and congestion around the school gates, monitoring the speed of traffic, doing observational studies on seat belt use and investigating the difference in their routes to school when they move to comprehensive school," explained East Caerphilly’s RSO, John Thomas.

The Junior Road Safety Officer scheme is to be officially launched by Caerphilly County Borough Council at the beginning of the next academic year.

For more information contact Robert Anderton (07818 036 936) or John Thomas (07818 036 937).