Road Safety

The number of cars and other vehicles on our roads is increasing all the time and it is even more important for all young people to understand the potential risks and dangers.

At Dunston Hill Community Primary School, we believe it is vital to teach our pupils how to be safe passengers, pedestrians & cyclists. Working together with parents, pupils and the school community is one crucial way we can try to ensure that we stay safe when we are out and about.

What we do to support Road Safety and Sustainable Travel:

• Annual whole school assemblies promote “Walk to School Week” and outline the importance of parking safely, considering the impact our behaviours may have on pedestrians and local residents
• The ‘Road Safety Team’ from Gateshead Council educate pupils on road safety techniques on and off the school site
• Cycle proficiency – we offer pupils ‘Bikeability’ training to ensure that all pupils feel safe when cycling or scootering
• We provide safe bike / scooter storage sheds for our pupils and staff
• We provide safe pedestrian access on the school site and maintain paths and crossings
• School staff practise, remind and reinforce with children about road safety procedures during local walks to the swimming baths, the local library or on school trips
• Site restrictions include: a 5 mile an hour limit while driving on the school site, speed bumps have been installed and ‘no stopping’ signs are on display
• Security Guards on the main gate to restrict the movement of cars at the beginning and the end of the school day
• Road Safety Banners have been placed at the access points to the site to remind the community to park safely and ask that they consider local residents whilst doing so
• We took part in a ‘Go Smarter Parker’ initiative, working in partnership with Gateshead Council – view article
• Our weekly ‘Walking Bus’ (Wednesday mornings) boosts exercise levels, lowers the carbon footprint and encourages communities to come together – currently suspended

We are working closely with the Gateshead Road Safety Team to develop a site Travel Plan with Kingsmeadow Secondary School by completing/introducing :

• Site audit – reviewing signage, parking and road markings
• Surveys – understand how our families / staff travel to school and the impact of parking on and around the site Short Travel to School survey for parents carers 02.05.23
• School Street Audit – pupils to work with Living Streets to review the potential barriers of Walking to school could be, the impact of the A1 slip road as well as as well as other issues that may arise (hazardous parking, speed of traffic, narrow paths, poor aesthetic environment etc)
• Parking passes – the allocation of site parking passes to staff across all four organisations across the site
• Road Safety characters – to deter parents/carers using the Market Lane main entrance as a drop off / turning circle
• Audit access road markings – meet with Highways Department and Local Councillors
• Road Safety Education – LA to offer additional onsite road safety in EYFS / KS1 and Kingsmeadow to embed good road safety behaviours
• Action Plan / Report – share all findings / actions with the school community, including local residents

Crossing the road

We want all our children to be safe whenever they’re out and about. We ask parents and carers to help us educate our children to learn the Road Wise Green Cross Code  

1. 1. Think – look for a safe place to cross. 
   2. Stop – wait at the edge of the kerb. 
   3. Look and listen – make sure you can hear as well as see any traffic. 
   4. Wait – if there is any traffic, wait for it to pass. 
   5. Look and listen again – check again for any traffic. 
   6. Arrive alive – walk (don’t run) straight across the road. 

Parking

Parking is limited on the school site and is therefore solely for the use of Dunston Hill Community Primary School, Kingsmeadow School and the Workforce Development Training Centre staff.

To minimise the movement of vehicles on the school site, the school gates (Market Lane) are manned by a security guard between the hours of 8.30am – 9.15am and 2.45pm – 3.30pm. During these hours, access is only permitted to staff and those identified on a visitor list provided by the schools.

We ask that parents/carers do not park on the school site at anytime of the school day. There are two pedestrian access points to the site at Market Lane and Park Terrace. Once entering the site, we ask that parents/carers entering the school site use the pedestrian path and crossing provided.

We ask that parents/carers consider the safety of others and our local residents when parking in the surrounding streets of the school site. The quality of life of those living in our school locality and the safety of our children is a high priority of staff and governors. We ask that parents/carers do not park improperly or dangerously parking during drop offs and pickups as indicated below:

• Hazardous parking causing obstruction and preventing school pupils and children crossing the road safely
• Use the school entrances as a drop off or turning circle
• Vehicles parked in the bus stop on Market Lane
• Vehicles blocking residents’ driveways and dropped kerbs
• Vehicles parked at road junctions obstructing the view onto Market Lane
• Vehicles mounting the pavements along Park Terrace and Market Lane
• Vehicles using the school gates as a turning circle
• Obstruction of the highway causing congestion
• Stopping in the middle of the road to drop a child off
• Drive more than 20 miles an hour on Market Lane

Road Safety communication to our school community

1. Road Safety Letter 02.10.23
2. Letter to Parents – Parking around the School site 26.05.23
3. school map 26.05.23
4. Offsite Parking Concerns Letter 25.04.23
5. Road Safety Letter 30.03.23
6. Road Safety letter from LA & School – parking guidance / restrictions 13.3.23
7. Road Safety Letter 10.1.23
8. Onsite Parking Restrictions Letter 14.10.22