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CHAPTER FIVE Road Safety Education

5.1 Road Safety Education for Children with Additional support needs

5.1.1 Teaching children with mild to moderate learning difficulties

The way in which children with learning difficulties learn is varied and very much related to the individual's needs. Particular difficulties which children with mild to moderate learning difficulties may demonstrate include:

• difficulty sequencing
• difficulty prioritising
• difficulty grasping concepts
• memory difficulties
• confusion with written material
• difficulty sustaining attention
• interrupting or seeking attention
• difficulty coping with change
• agitation under pressure
• lack of awareness of danger

These difficulties will not apply to each child with mild to moderate learning difficulties, and each individual will have their own strengths and weaknesses in learning. As children with learning difficulties tend to learn in a different way from other children, this means that particular teaching methods are often required, such as use of visual aids or breaking tasks into individual steps. Guidance on teaching children with mild to moderate learning disabilities ²² also recommends working closely with parents, guardians and carers to ensure that a comprehensive approach to learning is developed.

5.1.2 Teaching children with ADHD

The key learning barriers for those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder include:

• little attention to detail
• short attention span
• difficulty listening
• difficulty following instructions
• difficulty organising tasks
• easily distracted and forgetful
• difficulty waiting turn
• fidgeting and running about
• excessive talking

These difficulties can affect the way in which children learn in general, and can also have an impact upon the way in which road safety messages can be conveyed most effectively to children with ADHD. Guidance produced by the Educational Resources Information Centre ( ERIC) in the United States provides specific guidance on how education can be tailored to meet the needs of children with ADHD²³. Of particular relevance to road safety education the guidance specifies that "children with ADD do not handle change well, so avoid transitions, physical relocation, changes in schedule and disruptions". In addition, the guidance suggests that "distracting stimuli", such as traffic, should be avoided, and that all tasks should be simple and avoid multiple commands.

This would appear to suggest that children with ADHD would not react well to one-off or irregular 'traffic trails', or other outings aimed at applying road safety theory in practice. This is supported by research by the Department for Transport (DfT) which indicates that practical roadside pedestrian training may "present unacceptable risks for these children because of their excessive, incessant movement and sudden, inappropriate behaviours". The DfT report states that other research has suggested that role playing may be a more appropriate way of teaching road safety skills to children with ADHD.

5.1.3 Teaching children with autism associated with learning difficulties

Autistic spectrum disorders can impact on the way in which children and young people learn in a variety of ways. Key barriers to learning for those with autistic spectrum disorders may include:

• difficulty remembering sequences
• distraction by visual stimuli and lights
• difficulty processing visual and auditory information simultaneously
• difficulty generalising concepts

This means that children with autistic spectrum disorders may prefer to learn in different ways. It is unlikely that children would respond well to traditional road safety methods such as learning the green cross code or 'stop, look and listen'. As the Center for the Study of Autism in the USA states:

"teaching generalization is often a problem for children with autism. To teach a child to generalize the principle of not running across the street, it must be taught in many different locations. If he is taught in only one location, the child will think that the rule only applies to one specific place"²⁴

People with autism may also prefer to learn visually, rather than verbally. Verbal information can be difficult for children with autism to remember, and statements may also be taken very literally. Visual aids such as pictures and videos may be more appropriate methods of teaching road safety to this group. However, often children may not understand drawings and may prefer to work with photographs and real objects.

Children with autism can also be easily distracted by visual stimuli, or become obsessively interested in certain objects, meaning it may be preferable to learn in a non-stimulating environment without distractions, or through using an object which the child is particularly interested in to convey road safety messages. Clearly, this will vary according to the child, and, as such, the National Autistic Society suggests that individual learning plans should be developed which focus on the way in which each child prefers to learn.

It is likely that practical, individualised pedestrian training would be beneficial for children with autism, due to the difficulty generalising concepts and the need to teach children about road safety in a range of different locations. This would often require individual, intensive support, at least initially, as there may be difficulties with this in terms of the distractions and unpredictability of pedestrian training in the real world.

5.2 Delivery of Road Safety Education in Schools and Nurseries

Our survey of schools and nurseries throughout Scotland provides a useful picture of how road safety education is currently being delivered for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties. The survey involved mainstream and special needs schools, and nursery, primary and secondary schools. A copy of the survey is attached as Appendix Two.

5.2.1 Stages of road safety education

The survey identified that all 74 nursery and primary schools responding to the survey undertake road safety education with every year/age group. This focus on road safety education was strong in both mainstream and specialist primary and nursery schools. For secondary schools, this focus on RSE declined, with over half (52 per cent) indicating that road safety was either not taught at all (9 per cent) or taught only at the S1 stage (43 per cent). Only one third of secondary schools stated that road safety was taught every year, and, of these, the vast majority were specialist schools for children with Additional Support Needs.

This was backed up by discussion with national organisations, support groups and parents, who indicated that there tended to be a focus on educating children about road safety in primary school, and during the transition from primary to secondary school. This often focuses on intensive work with individual pupils, aimed at familiarising him/her with their new route to school.

Joint working on road safety between primary and secondary schools - St Raymond's Primary and St Oswald's Secondary in Glasgow

For the majority of children with mild to moderate support needs road safety education continues from primary into the early years of secondary. For many young people the move to secondary school brings new challenges in terms of road safety, with journeys to school changing and often becoming longer. It is important that the issues of both travel arrangements and continuing road safety provision are co-ordinated between parents and schools.

St Oswald's Secondary School in Glasgow is a special education needs school with a large catchment area covering the South East of the city. New pupils are often travelling long distances for the first time, raising concerns amongst parents about their children's safety on the way to school, and the level of road safety education that they will receive in the early years of secondary.

At primary school, pupils are usually bussed to school with assistants riding on the bus with the children. At St Oswald's, pupils will be encouraged to become increasingly aware of the road safety issues that directly affect them and, where it is possible, individuals will be guided towards more independent travel.

The Primary/Secondary Liaison Officer at St Oswald's oversees the transition of pupils. He attends the local primary schools to meet parents and discuss the appropriateness of the school for their children. At this stage travel options are discussed with the parents and the school aims to allay any fears about safety. All children from within the catchment area will initially be taxied to the school by the local authority.

One of the main associated primary schools is St Raymond's Primary. At the school, road safety is reinforced to the pupils at a basic level, with competitive games and interactive learning. At secondary, the emphasis is e more about training the young people for the journeys that they make, with an ultimate view to independent travel.

At St Oswald's, teaching incorporates a 'local journeys' module and deals with the individual's road safety on the way to and from school. Staff work with the young people individually and there is a good chance that independent travel will be possible, if parents agree that this is appropriate.

The most intensive work takes place with pupils who are considered to be between the stage of taking the taxi to school and being ready to travel independently. Dedicated staff work with individual pupils. They let parents know that they are working with a view to independent travel and keep them up to date with progress. Staff and pupils go to their local area and practise using public transport, developing the skills required to get on and off buses and trains. When pupils have the skills that they need they are allowed to try making journeys individually with the staff member following behind on a 'shadow journey'. If it is deemed that the preparatory work has been a success, parents are consulted to see if they are willing to let their child travel independently.

St Oswald's has a strong network with other ASN schools in the area. Primary schools and the parents of primary children likely to attend St Oswald's are made aware of the road safety programme in advance of sending their children.

5.2.2 Delivery agent

In almost half of all schools, road safety education was delivered by the class teacher. However, almost one quarter of schools indicated that road safety was also delivered through road safety officers ( RSOs). Discussion with RSOs indicates that in some cases they assist schools in adapting resources for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties, provide training for teachers and parents, or even undertake individualised work with children needing intensive education.

One quarter of the schools surveyed indicated that RSE was delivered by other individuals, including physical and social education teachers, pastoral care teachers, additional needs assistants, classroom assistants and police officers. Three primary schools mentioned the use of Junior Road Safety Officers in educating pupils about road safety.

5.2.3 Delivery method

Of the schools catering for children with both general and Additional Support Needs, nearly two thirds (63 per cent) stated that they way in which children with mild to moderate learning difficulties were taught about road safety differed from that of other children. The main differences were in the method of delivery and resources used, rather than the content or stage at which road safety education was taught. Schools indicated that road safety "messages" are reinforced more often to children with mild to moderate learning difficulties, often through additional support from a classroom assistant. Many schools also stated that pupils with learning difficulties were given more practical roadside training to encourage transfer of skills from the classroom to real life.

In the classroom, group discussions, role play and videos were the most popular methods of teaching RSE and were noticeably more popular than written work. Group discussions were the most common method, with 74 per cent of schools adopting this approach. Sixty four per cent of schools were using role play and videos. A number of schools were also using computer or web based resources.

In addition to the work being done in the classroom, one of the most common methods of delivery was practical on-street pedestrian training. Sixty two per cent of schools delivered RSE through this method. Practical RSE is delivered to a lesser extent through mechanisms such as cycle training (22 per cent), pedestrian training in the playground (26 per cent) and traffic trails (14 per cent).

Using symbolic / visual communication - East Carmuirs Primary, Falkirk

East Carmuirs Primary School in Falkirk is a mainstream primary school with integrated Additional Support Needs provision. The school emphasises the use of visual and symbolic resources to enhance road safety education for children who have difficulty with verbal communication. An IT package is used to reinforce practical instruction.

The school uses Boardmaker, a software package which provides a visual language. The package produces visual symbols and signs which accompany actions. The school has adapted the package (which can be used for more general applications) for road safety as it has proved very effective at reinforcing messages. East Carmuirs have found it particularly effective for children with autistic spectrum disorders and those children which have most difficulty with verbal activities. The system comes in a CD Rom with an accompanying book and can produce over 3000 visuals which can be produced in varying sizes. Staff at the school find the software quick and easy to use and can produce worksheets, posters and booklets for the children.

The Boardmaker package is used on a progressive basis, first to put across key messages in the classroom. For example, "Stop, Look and Listen" is represented with symbols such as a hand up in the air for stop, eyes for look and ears for listen. The children verbalise the actions and copy the activities in the classroom. This is then taken out to the playground, where the symbols and signs continue to be used and are applied more rigorously with practical training.

The school augments this type of teaching with other mainstream road safety resources again emphasising the visual elements of the material. Songs and role play are also used in lessons to make learning more fun and to reinforce messages.

5.2.4 Parental involvement and knowledge of road safety education

Only ten per cent of schools responding to the survey indicated that parents were significantly involved in the delivery of road safety education ( RSE). The parents consulted throughout this study demonstrated varying levels of awareness of RSE at school. While some groups of parents had a high level of knowledge of school activities, others felt that parents were not involved adequately and that road safety education at school was not fed back effectively to parents. This variation depended very much on school activities and specific projects or initiatives which had aimed to involve parents - for example, take home road safety packs to encourage parental involvement.

While some parents did feel involved in RSE at schools, the majority felt that they should have more input. Generally, parents believed that schools did a lot of good work in terms of RSE, but the links with parents needed to be better. Parents suggested more information from schools on what topics were covered would be particularly useful. However, some parents - particularly those with children at secondary school - felt that RSE was not really a school priority and that there should be a stronger focus on RSE at secondary as well as primary school.

A number of parents of children attending mainstream schools felt that while RSE was covered well for the majority of children, those with Additional Support Needs were not always provided with the extra assistance which they required. Parents stressed the need for simpler or different resources for some children with learning difficulties, extra support from teachers or assistants, and repetition of basic messages.

Child Pedestrian Skills Programme - Kerbcraft

The Scottish Executive is funding a pilot programme focussing on improving the pedestrian skills of children aged 5 and 6 in Scotland. This programme uses the 'Kerbcraft' model for educating children about road safety, which was developed by Strathclyde University. The model focuses on developing three core road safety skills:

• Choosing safe places to cross
• Crossing safely at parked cars
• Crossing safely at junctions

In Scotland, twelve local authority areas have developed Kerbcraft programmes. Three of those authorities have made specific provisions to ensure that children with Additional Support Needs are included within the programme.

One of these authorities is South Lanarkshire Council, which launched its Kerbcraft programme in April 2004. This programme involves eleven mainstream primary schools within South Lanarkshire, and is designed in a way which ensures that all Primary 1 and 2 children can participate, regardless of their needs.

Children with Additional Support Needs are supported in two ways. Firstly, the programme is designed in an inclusive way with the purpose of enabling children to learn in an interactive and practical way, which is often beneficial for children with Additional Support Needs. Practical roadside training encourages children to ask questions and learn at their own pace, with parental volunteers supporting the children through their learning. This is supported by interactive games within the school environment, which again aim to encourage children to remember the messages which were taught during their roadside training. Through continually reinforcing core basic messages in an interactive way children with Additional Support Needs are able to learn at their own pace.

Secondly, children with a one to one worker in the classroom are accompanied by this worker when undertaking the pedestrian skills training. This ensures that children with Additional Support Needs are able to participate in mainstream lessons, and learn the same road safety messages as other children. The one-to-one support also reduces the risks faced by the child in the road environment.

Discussion with the Kerbcraft Co-ordinator identified that a number of children with Additional Support Needs have participated in the programme, and that many have 'excelled' in developing their skills. One school has ensured that its training day coincides with days where children with Additional Support Needs attend (with some only attending school certain days in the week). Children appear to have enjoyed the opportunity to participate in mainstream lessons and value the interactive nature of the sessions. Parents of children with Additional Support Needs have also been involved as volunteers.

5.3 Parents' Delivery of RSE

Discussion with parents highlighted that RSE was a priority for them, and was perceived as a key life skill needed to enhance the independence of their child in later life. Parental education largely focussed on passing on road safety messages through practical training and accompaniment. Parents tended to accompany their children with learning difficulties for longer than those without, with many parents of teenagers continuing to accompany their children on most or all pedestrian journeys.

The assistance offered to children when walking ranged from physical restraint - to prevent panic or impulsive actions leading to an accident - to constant reminders, pointing out dangers and reinforcing basic road safety messages. Many parents talked about using an incremental approach with stages in crossing the road reinforced for some time before moving on to the next stage. Parents also tended to educate their children when in the car, through pointing out dangers in the environment and attempting to increase awareness. In addition, many parents tried to encourage road safety through leading by example, and changing walking and driving patterns when with their children.

Few parents had made use of any road safety resources (see Chapter Six for further discussion).

5.4 Current Involvement of Road Safety Officers

Road Safety Officers consulted stressed their role as facilitators rather than direct deliverers of RSE. This meant that many did not always have direct knowledge of the way in which RSE was delivered to children with mild to moderate learning difficulties, and the impact which it has. However, overall RSOs were positive about the approaches being currently taken based on their knowledge of individual schools.

Some RSOs visited schools to deliver certain aspects of road safety education directly to children. In this case they would generally liaise with the teachers beforehand to identify any particular needs within the class and adapt their approach accordingly - either in the topics which are taught or the way in which resources are used. RSOs who were delivering education at Additional Support Needs schools or units tended to work with small groups of children at similar stages of development, rather than a whole class. There was also evidence of some very individualised support taking place - particularly at stages where pupils were transferring from primary to secondary school.

RSOs did emphasise that road safety delivery was often dependent on the needs and level of understanding of an individual child, with no "standard" approach for children with Additional Support Needs.

Close working with Road Safety Officers - Drumpark School, North Lanarkshire

Close working with local Road Safety Officers has proved to be an effective and fun way of bringing RSE to children with additional support needs. Involvement of RSOs and innovative methods of teaching help to reinforce awareness of road safety issues throughout school years.

Drumpark School, North Lanarkshire, is a school for children with special educational needs. It has a mainstream nursery class and a pre 5 language and assessment unit for children from 3 to 5 years, a primary department for children from 5 to 12 years and a secondary department for children from 12 to 18 years. RSE is developed throughout primary and secondary, reinforcing issues and raising awareness.

Mainstream resources are used at each level of RSE teaching and are adapted to the needs of the class or individual pupil. The school feels that practical approaches are more effective and have built strong links with RSOs to bring this about. RSOs have been to the school regularly to work with each of the classes. Recently RSOs have set up a mock road with cars, passengers, crossings etc in the school playground. Work with the children involves practising safe road use, demonstrating potential dangers and the impact of accidents. Equipment that simulates the road in this way is felt to be very useful and children report that it has been enjoyable and effective.

The school is not located in an area that is appropriate for cycling to school or for pedestrian road safety training and the playground can now be used to reinforce practical messages throughout the school year. RSOs have facilitated this learning and are there to offer advice and guidance to the school.

Road Safety Officers in North Lanarkshire feel that the best approach is specific to each class and where possible to the level of the individual child. RSOs initially assess what the class will respond to best in discussion with the teacher and then amend their approach accordingly. RSOs generally find that the best approaches for children with Additional Support Needs are using visual resources and activities such as role playing.

RSOs have also been involved in the development of the Junior RSO scheme. At Drumpark School two secondary pupils have been trained as Junior RSOs and are actively involved in promoting road safety throughout the school with the use of games, competitions and a notice board. Junior RSOs are older than the children taking part in the activities and the scheme has been working well.

RSOs have also been involved in providing cycle training for pupils at the school and it is hoped that this will be developed further in the future. In Inverclyde, RSOs have developed specific cycle training programmes for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties. In Dumfries and Galloway, an RSO has been able to provide individual support for one child with Additional Support Needs.

5.5 Potential Improvements to Current RSE Methods

Many consultees were of the opinion that schools and parents were doing the best they could to ensure that children with mild to moderate learning difficulties learn key road safety messages. Many stressed that there was no 'magic trick' which would improve RSE, and that the challenges faced in ensuring that children learn, understand and apply road safety messages to real life situations could often be significant. However, there were a number of areas where consultees suggested some improvements could be made.

Firstly, the vast majority believed that it was crucial to convey the importance of road safety skills to those teaching children with mild to moderate learning difficulties. With road safety seen as a core life skill leading to independence, parents stressed the key role which RSE should play within the school curriculum for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties. Increasing the priority of RSE for children attending secondary school was seen as particularly important, as well as beginning RSE training at as early a stage as possible.

Secondly, the creation of effective links between parents and schools was seen to be crucial in the delivery of RSE. This was stressed by schools and parents themselves, along with Road Safety Officers and national and local support groups. Parents were keen to have more information about the RSE curriculum and create links between messages conveyed at home and at school. This approach was also advocated by RSOs, although many suggested that one difficulty may be the distance between home and school for some children with Additional Support Needs, who may be driven outwith their immediate locality in order to receive appropriate support in education.

Thirdly, parents felt that significant improvements could be made simply through increasing awareness of the different needs and learning methods which all children, and particularly children with learning difficulties, have. Parents stressed that every individual child responds best to different ways of learning, and that even recognition of this would improve the way RSE is taught. This was highlighted through some parents indicating that their child learned best through role play and imaginative learning, while others would require practical training and precise instructions. However, generally, parents stressed the need for slow steps, repetition of messages, and keeping messages simple.

Finally, consultees also highlighted the need to improve road safety awareness of adults, and ensure that parents and teachers are constantly setting a good example and reducing the road safety risks for children. Parents pointed to car parking around the school gates and the dangers which this could pose. It was felt that, some education for all parents on the risks which children with learning difficulties may face, would be beneficial.

Integrating Road Safety Education in Additional Support Needs Units

Drummore Learning Centre provides learning support for children with a wide range of Additional Support Needs between the ages of three to eighteen. The Centre has two Pre 5 units, one based in the centre and another (mainstream) Gaelic unit, off site. Children with Additional Support Needs can be enrolled fully at the centre or on a shared placement basis with other local primary schools and Oban High School. The Centre also includes a unit for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder ( ASD).

The centre and its staff have placed emphasis on developing close links with the local community, and integrating road safety education across the wide range of both practical "outside" activities as well as "classroom" based work.

The Centre has recognised that some children lack some of the most basic skills - for example, the ability "to walk". Not the physical ability, but the ability to walk in a controlled and disciplined way. With them, the emphasis is to teach them to respond to verbal or pictorial symbols to "stop", "wait" and "go". Until they are able to do this, the child can only go out, holding the hand of the teacher or the learning assistant.

As well as developing pedestrian skills, the Centre also recognises the importance of children being able to travel safely on buses and cars. This is particularly reinforced when children are travelling in the centre's minibus.

Children with ASD are taught using two structured methods - TEACCH, a structured approach specifically for children with ASD, and a Picture Exchange Communication System ( PECS). Staff at Drummore have found both methods particularly successful in developing key skills including communications which are essential for developing safe road user skills.

Road safety is reinforced in the planning of activities which involve going out of the centre - route planning, identifying safe routes, potential sources of danger. This is then reinforced in both practical activities in the Centre's playground and in community based settings.

The centre has also developed close links with the Riding for the Disabled Association, fortunate that one member of staff is a qualified instructor with the RDA. All children attending the centre take part in riding activities, including one young girl with cerebral palsy, for whom the RDA has acquired a horse drawn trap. Road safety is also a central part of riding instruction, with children taught the importance not only of safe riding on roads but as well the use of appropriate dress, including fluorescent jackets, riding hats and footwear.

The centre is also in the process of introducing cycle proficiency training for the children attending, again with road safety being a core element of this. It is planned that there will also be a "differentiated" proficiency test for less able children.

The Centre demonstrates a diverse and creative approach to developing safe road user skills with children with a wide range of additional support needs as part of a well developed and imaginative curriculum which has individual learning needs at its heart.

5.6 Summary

• Children with mild to moderate learning difficulties may require to learn about road safety in different ways, which differ from individual to individual
• While stressing that children learn in different ways, some methods which can prove more successful for some, include visual aids, role playing and involvement of parents and carers
• Our survey of schools displayed a strong focus on RSE in nursery and primary schools, with this declining somewhat at secondary school stage
• While many schools provided RSE on an ongoing basis, there was a particular focus on education at the primary to secondary school transition stage
• RSE was largely delivered by class teachers, with assistance from classroom assistants, special needs assistants and Road Safety Officers
• Generally, RSE for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties was more intensive with additional support, more practical training and one to one activities
• Parents stressed the importance of RSE for children with Additional Support Needs, believing it to be a key life skill leading to increased independence
• Parents exhibited varying levels of knowledge about RSE at school, and stressed their desire for better links with their child's school
• Parents focussed on educating their child about road safety through practical education and leading by example - very few had used any resources
• Consultees believed that RSE for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties could be improved through:
• emphasising the importance of RSE for children with Additional Support Needs
• creating better links between parents and schools
• increasing awareness of the different ways in which children learn
• improving parental knowledge and awareness of road safety

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