Wolverhampton City Council helps thousands of school children learn vital road safety skills
Released: 2 April 2007
More than 1,000 Wolverhampton school pupils have received vital road safety training in the first part of a highly appraised scheme organised by the city council.
The authority’s Road Safety Team is celebrating the success of reaching the half-way point of the new pedestrian training scheme, Stepping Out with Togo and Nogo.
Since January 2007 over 1,100 year three pupils at 35 primary schools across Wolverhampton have taken part. By the end of the summer term another 1,500 pupils from 37 schools will also have benefited from the training.
Stepping Out with Togo and Nogo originated in Manchester, led by the local authority, and is based upon five CD-Rom sessions and one outdoor roadside session.
Councillor Peter Bilson, Wolverhampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Enterprise, said: “It is vital that we make every effort to keep our children safe on the roads.
“The Stepping out with Togo and Nogo pedestrian training programme aims to raise awareness among children of how to use roads and pathways safely.
“The scheme promotes an understanding of roadside hazards, finding a safer place to cross, crossing safely near parked cars, crossing near junctions, and the Green Cross Code.
“Hopefully schemes such as this can help to significantly reduce the number of child casualties on our roads.”
The feedback from schools has so far been extremely positive with the Road Safety Team consistently scoring five out of five in evaluation questionnaires.
Palmers Cross Primary School said: “The Togo + Nogo CD-Rom was brilliant. It enabled our special needs children to fully participate in the lesson. Thank you.” St Stephens Primary School said it was an “excellent training tool” and St Thomas’ Primary School said: “Pupils’ road safety knowledge has without doubt increased.”
The CD-Rom is a mixture of interactive games and videos, following the road safety antics of animated characters, Togo and Nogo. The CD-Rom explains to pupils the theory behind staying safe, using fun activities that link directly to the national curriculum.
The outdoor roadside session is delivered by the Road Safety Team on a route that has been fully risk assessed. The class is taken to the roadside and the theory learnt from the CD-Rom is put into practice through a number of practical activities.
Accompanying the scheme are Record of Achievement booklets for all pupils involved, which are filled in throughout the training process. At the end of the sixth session all pupils also receive a certificate and an ‘Arrive Alive’ children’s Highway Code.
For more information on Stepping Out with Togo and Nogo or to find out about other road safety training activities provided by the Road Safety Team please contact Paul Lever, Senior Road Safety Officer, on 01902 551790 or by email.
Issued by the press office.