Kettering primary school children clamp down on parents' dangerous driving

Children at Kettering’s Hawthorn Community Primary School will be out on patrol in hi-viz vests to raise awareness of illegal parking and dangerous driving near the school.

Six children at the school, in Hawthorn Road, have been appointed road safety heroes (RSH) as part of an initiative which has been developed by the Highways safety team at Kier Highways. The heroes, led by school staff member Jen Bajwa, will be patrolling the streets around the school, handing out business cards and issuing tickets to parents who park inappropriately.

Emma Jacox, headteacher of the school which is part of Pathfinder Schools, said: “We are delighted to be part of the Road Safety Heroes scheme.

"We take the safety of our school community very seriously and are always looking for new and creative ways to remind people about the importance of driving and parking carefully. Road Safety Heroes will be a whole school/community project and will be vital in spreading the word of road safety. Together we can make our roads safer for everyone.”

The Road Safety Heroes were recruited from Years 3, 4 and 5 after they submitted an application stating why they wanted to be part of the scheme. Pupils were then interviewed and given the opportunity to share their ideas for improvements.

During an assembly led by Keith Millard, senior road safety officer for Kier Highways, the successful candidates were given hi-viz jackets, business cards, badges, notebooks and pens to use on their patrols when they note down times and types of misdemeanours.

Mrs Bajwa said: “It’s a really exciting time for our RSH. They will be responsible for bringing home messages to parents and for coming up with ideas to ensure cars park safely around Hawthorn and speed limits are adhered to. The children have some fantastic ideas which they are looking forward to putting in place.”

Road safety hero Lillie, aged 10, said: “We will listen to the concerns of other children at our school and make sure people drive safely around our school. We are worried that if people don't slow down, one day there will be a serious accident."