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Year 6 Pupils at Cantref Step Up to the Challenge


There’s only one way to find out if children have the necessary road skills to navigate a safe route. It’s not by asking them – it’s by getting them to walk it. That’s what pupils at Cantref have been doing.

To add a further complication, they were asked to show adults how to do it. These were no ordinary adults either. We could not afford to put them at any risk because they are highly trained “Kerbcraft” Volunteers, a prized and valuable Road Safety resource! Not to mention the Road Safety team who were also putting their complete trust in these children. “Kerbcraft” Volunteers are active and experienced in training infant children at the school – this was new territory altogether.

As if that wasn’t enough, the children were required to find a “high visibility” item which was strategically placed along the routes they were to travel.

And their mission was:

• To find a safe place to cross the road ensuring the adults were put in no unnecessary danger.

• To cross safely where there are parked cars ensuring the adults were put in no unnecessary danger.

• To cross safely where there are junctions ensuring the adults were put in no unnecessary danger.

• To return safely to school with each adult safely accounted for.

To date, no adult has been harmed during these “Workshops”.

The Road Safety Team wish to thank the Volunteers, and especially the pupils. If they had not been successful in this challenge, I could not have written this article and am very pleased to announce that they dutifully ensured that no adults were put in unnecessary danger.

Mission accomplished

And so, the third and final workshop has taken place and the children and volunteers have captured their thoughts in a “diary” style account of what they did and what they LEARNT.

Children wrote of their experiences:
“I’ve learnt how to work good in a team even with boys”. Yazmyn Edwards

“I’ve been where we’ve walked today thousands of times and I’ve never done what we did today”, said Nia aged 11.

Volunteers said of the children:
“They arrived at good decisions, most importantly the right ones.” Paul Wadsworth, who had “great fun”

“My group of children were all interested and willing to listen, contribute and learn” Carole Binley, who also had “lots of fun”

“It has made them think…If it saves just one child from getting knocked down then it has made it worthwhile giving up some time to do this with them.” Louise Woolfall

The Road Safety Team reported:
These comments so aptly describe that chemistry which takes place when such a successful partnership comes together: the children, Junior Road Safety Officers, Kerbcraft volunteers and Road Safety Staff. The motivating goal shared by all – to keep these children safe on our roads.