Scottish Government

Executive Summary

In 2003, Road Safety Scotland (RSS) launched Streetsense, a road safety resource for primary schools. RSS commissioned Carole Millar Research to undertake an evaluation of this resource. The key aims of this study were to:

• Identify how effectively the Streetsense resource has been distributed
• Explore whether primary schools currently use the Streetsense resource
• Outline how schools use the Streetsense resource
• Identify ways in which Streetsense could be sustained and developed.

Road Safety Officers covering all areas of Scotland were interviewed, 11 in person and 16 by telephone. Visits were made to 8 primary schools with a further 4 schools contacted by phone to discuss reasons for non-use. Four lecturers from universities involved in training teachers were interviewed by phone. Four personal interviews were undertaken with representatives of LTScotland, HMIE and LA Education Departments. A further two telephone interviews were undertaken with representatives from LA Education Departments.

A self-completion survey was sent to 598 schools across Scotland ensuring a geographical spread and a range of size of schools were covered. A response rate of 40% was achieved giving 240 usable responses.

Main Findings

Distribution

• Nearly four in five schools indicate they have a copy of Streetsense.
• Just under a quarter of local authorities held a training event at which copies of the resource were distributed. About a quarter of local authorities delivered directly to schools. The remainder delivered it to schools via visits to schools or via cluster meetings of head teachers.
• There remain a few schools who still do not have access to the resource and others who have received it only recently.

Promotion

• Whilst over half of schools indicated the resource had been promoted well, 19% said it had not been well promoted. Those who did not have a copy or did not use it were more likely to say it had not been well promoted.
• Promotional methods include:
  • Flier or letters to schools
  • Personal visits
  • Training events
  • Training of new teachers
  • Promotional stands at head teacher meetings
  • Links via other websites
• Ongoing promotion is also very helpful in keeping the resource to the fore of teachers' attention.
• Whilst promotion of the resource was seen as essential, it was acknowledged as difficult to get access to teachers to undertake this promotion
• Reliance on teachers cascading information about the resource to other teachers is unreliable.
• Liaison with the relevant LA Education Department can also be helpful in promoting the resource.

Training

• Just over a quarter of schools that use Streetsense have had any training and in two thirds of cases this counted towards Continuing Professional Development ( CPD)
• Commonly this was provided to only one member of staff who was then expected to cascade training, but this did not always happen.
• There is an interest from schools in training being provided. Just over four in ten schools who did not get training but do use the resource would be interested in training.
• The main barrier to providing training was the lack of teachers' time.
• Road Safety Officers would prefer to train number of teachers at a single event whilst teachers would prefer in school training.
• All trainee teachers are given limited training in the use of Streetsense.
• Suggestions to improve training include:
  • Plan ahead to ensure place in training schedules
  • Work closely with LA Education Department
  • Consider demonstration lessons; in class support
  • Actively promote the offer of training
  • Offer optional courses to trainee teachers to allow for more detailed training

Extent of Use of Streetsense

• Of those who have a copy of Streetsense just over three quarters (76%) make use of it. This represents 60% of all schools surveyed.
• Of those using it, 25% have been using it for less than a year
• Main reasons for not using it are:
  • Lack of knowledge / awareness
  • Lack of time / overcrowded curriculum
  • Size of resource is off-putting
  • Reluctance to change
  • Not got round to implementing it
• Streetsense is used more in the earlier primary school year groups than the later years.
• Level E is used less than other levels. There is little demand for a level F
• Road Safety Officers lack robust feedback of schools' use of Streetsense. This might be provided by the introduction of a Road Safety Charter for Scotland.

How Streetsense is used

• Lesson plans, teachers' notes and worksheets are seen as the most useful components of Streetsense
• A few would prefer the resource to be structured by primary school year but the majority were content with the existing structure by level.
• 83% felt that Streetsense catered well for mixed ability classes but some teachers indicated that they selected lessons, which were most suited to the majority and did not differentiate with composite classes.
• Streetsense was seen as fitting in well with the current curriculum. The Curriculum Review may have implications for the way in which Streetsense is structured.
• Whilst other road safety resources were used in schools they were largely seen as being complementary.

Perceptions of Streetsense

• Streetsense was seen very positively as:
  • Easy to use
  • Well presented
  • Teacher friendly
  • Familiar format
  • Good choice of activity
• Children were seen as enjoying the resource
• Concerns include: potentially repetitive / being overly worksheet based
• Packaging was seen as robust if large and daunting. Loose- leaf may have been easier to photocopy but would have had greater opportunity to get lost
• 12% agreed that the illustrations within Streetsense are overly childlike.

Accessing Streetsense

• Nearly one on five schools (18%) felt they had insufficient copies for their needs
• There is no stock of spare copies to provide schools who for whatever reason do not have a copy
• Streetsense is typically held in a central resource room that all teachers can access.
• Photocopying was a significant issue in some areas. Time and cost were the main issues. However 90% agreed that the worksheets were easy to photocopy.
• Additional resources such as CDs, posters etc, are less easily shared and more easily lost. Further copies of these would be helpful.
• Awareness of access to Streetsense on the web is low and usage poor even amongst those who know about it. Time, access difficulties and cost were all barriers to downloading material.
• Nevertheless, it is expected that web access will become increasingly important in future. The Scottish Schools Digital Network ( SSDN) may be one route to promote this. Web based interactive material was seen as a way forward. The web could also provide opportunities for children and teachers to share work.

Outcome

• Outcome was recognised as being very difficult to measure.
• 47% felt Streetsense had made a significant impact on children's knowledge of road safety. A third indicated a significant improvement in attitude and 18% indicated significant improvement in behaviour around the school.