Junior Road Safety Officers

Portsmouth's Junior Road Safety Officer (JRSO) programme is currently running JRSO schemes in various stages of development.  The JRSO programme seeks to bring road safety education into the school via the pupils themselves through various activities ranging from assemblies, posters, art and theatre, and through participation in national road safety events and campaigns.  Aimed at junior school age pupils, the scheme often precedes development of travel plans and can provide opportunities to engage pupils directly in travel plan development. In addition, working alongside the Safer Routes to School Officer and the Road Safety and Sustainable Travel Team, JRSOs contribute towards meeting objectives and targets identified within these travel plans.

During 2003 the JRSOs facilitated a range of road safety led activities from identification of safer routes to school, designs and installation of cycle shelters to active campaigns such as 'Park & Stride', 'Walking Buses' and 'Walk on Wednesday'.

JRSOs at St Paul's Primary School ran a very successful parking awareness campaign throughout 2005 which has made visible improvements to the morning school run.  The four pupils accompanied by members of staff and the Road Safety and Sustainable Travel Team were a visible presence in their high visibility jackets on mornings throughout the term.  The JRSOs highlighted the risks of inconsiderate parking near the school site through the handing out of 'Drivers Code of Practice' leaflets to parents who parked dangerously.

So far this academic year Craneswater Junior School have plans for a "Be Safe Be Seen" assembly and Cottage Grove Primary are having their first meeting of JRSOs very soon.

If your school would like to set up a JRSO group then please contact Nicola Waight on 023 9268 8262 or email roadsafety@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

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