Outstanding contributions towards road safety and active travel recognised – Highways News

Warwickshire County Council has marked the achievements of those Warwickshire primary schools who have actively promoted the Safe and Active Schools programme.

The road safety education and active travel programme, which now engages with over 90 schools, was celebrated at a new awards ceremony.

Organised by the Council’s Road Safety Education Team, Safe and Active Schools has been running a successful educational programme for primary schools since 2017. 

This programme has been carefully designed to introduce safe behaviours and provide pupils with practical skills and knowledge to travel safely and sustainably. Key themes covered include distractions, peer influence and impulse control.

An inaugural celebration event held at Old Shire Hall, Warwick took place on Friday 21 June and brought together Safe and Active School Champions, Warwickshire school pupils, road safety partners and Warwickshire County Council colleagues.

The event presented the opportunity to showcase best practice in road safety education, celebrate achievements and say thank you to everyone who has supported the programme over the years.

Cllr Jan Matecki, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said: “I’m delighted to have been able to celebrate the fantastic work happening in Warwickshire schools to promote road safety and encourage active travel.

“The Safe and Active Schools Programme has a range of benefits for children and young people but also, more broadly, for the county’s goals, and it’s inspiring to see schools taking such a proactive approach. It not only instils skills that will keep children safe round our roads but also an active approach to travelling that will contribute towards a healthy lifestyle and help to keep our emissions down. It’s a win situation for all!”

As part of the celebration, an awards ceremony recognised the contributions of individuals and teams who have contributed to the success of the Safe and Active Schools Programme. Awards included Long Service Awards, presented to all schools who have proactively engaged with the programme since its inception in 2017, a Road Safety Excellence Award presented to Acorns Primary for dedicating curriculum time to road safety education, an Active Traveller Innovation Award to Wellesbourne Primary School for establishing a Bicycle Bus, and Cycling Champions awards for schools who have evidenced a commitment to delivering Bikeability Training to their pupils.

PIC-WARWICKSHIRE CC