PRIMARY schoolchildren will be spreading the important message of road safety to the community through their artwork. Pupils at Kingston Park Primary, in Cranleigh Avenue, Newcastle, have been busy designing a selection of colourful posters which aim to warn motorists driving past their school to watch their speed. The project involved youngsters from the reception class to Year 6, aged from five to 11, and feature pictures of children saying “Slow Down” as well as bright tortoises. The competition formed part of the school’s Travel Plan and supports the new 20mph zone in nearby Brunton Lane. School Travel Plans are developed to make the areas around schools as safe as possible and while they concentrate on encouraging sensible driving, they also raise children’s awareness of road safety issues. Road safety officers from Newcastle City Council visited the school to explain how the scheme would work to children and to reinforce the road safety message. A competition to design the road signs was set up with the children being told to make their designs bright and colourful and to feature their choice from a number of key words and phrases such as slow, 20mph and be safe, be seen. Four winning designs have been chosen by ward councillors and will be installed outside the school to warn drivers that they are approaching it. A special assembly will be held at the school next month, where the winners will be announced. Headteacher Judy Evans said: “The school is not in the best position for traffic and the roads outside the grounds can become busy. “The pupils, in all year groups, have been working on the poster competition and we do encourage people to walk to school or take the bus if possible. “Every year we take part in the Walk to School Week and our Year 6 children, in particular, have been looking at methods of sustainable transport. “All of the pupils are very aware of the road safety issue and we are also raising funds to build a bike shed.” Cheryl Ford, the council’s road safety services officer, said: “Making the roads outside our schools safe is vital, but it is just as important to make sure that children know how they should behave on our streets. “While working on their designs, children at Kingston Park Primary were concentrating on road safety and trying to incorporate several of our key messages into their work. “Choosing the winners proved very difficult and all the children who took part in the competition deserve congratulations. “I hope they all feel that the signs belong to them.” Fifty-five schools in Newcastle have developed School Travel Plans so far, with 20 more scheduled over the next couple of years. Officers hope to have included all the city’s schools in the scheme by 2010. | 
Northumberland
