SCP-Information for schools

• An assessment is carried out by the Road Safety team.
• This to determine if the site meets the nationally agreed criteria for a Devon County Council funded School Patrol.
• A site may have met the criteria many years ago however it may not now.
• This assessment and criteria is based on the Road Safety Great Britain School Crossing Patrol Guidelines which Local Authorities use.
• The Road Safety team will inform the school of the outcome of the assessment.

• This assessment includes a count of pedestrians and vehicles at school travel time.
• It is similar to the widely adopted criteria for assessing potential zebra crossings, pelican and puffin crossings.
• The School Crossing Patrol criteria uses the PV² formula as its basis.(P =Number of Pedestrians, V= Number of Vehicles) in the busiest consecutive 30 minute period at school travel time.
• The total of child pedestrians (P) is multiplied it with the square of the total number of vehicles(V) to provide the PV² score.
• For example, if there were 200 vehicles and 100 children crossing this would produce a PV² score of 4,000,000 (200 x 200 = 40,000 x 100 = 4,000,000)
• If a PV² of greater than 4 million is achieved, the site assessment can progress to the next stage.
• The assessment also includes a review of collision data, traffic speed and infrastructure.
• A  site would not be approved if there are other formal crossing points such as signalised crossings or zebra crossings.

• We will try and recruit a School Crossing Patrol. Information about the post are on our School Crossing Patrol webpage, which links to Devon Jobs where interest applicants apply online. Vacancies are also promoted through Indeed and our social media channels.
• Many Patrols come from the wider school community e.g. mealtime assistants, school cleaners, teaching assistants, parents, grandparents, governors, or local residents.
• Therefore, the school and/or wider school community are requested to help with the advertising/promotion of the post.
• Email us to request which of our free recruitment resources you would like. The resources include:
  • Posters & flyers.
  • ‘Could you be a Local Hero?’ recruitment film

• • Banner (200 cm wide x 50 cm) high for schools to fix in a suitable location outside the school.
  • Template Recruitment letters to send to parents/carers and wider school community.
  • Recruitment letter when Patrol is leaving.
  • Recruitment letter when there is no Patrol (a vacant site).

Schools that are pro-active in advertising the post tend to produce more interest.

• The school’s promotion could include:
  • emails and newsletters to parents,
  • note to parents in children’s’ bags,
  • Discussion with PTA,
  • Adding it to the school website,
  • Agenda item at governors meeting
  • Promotion via the school’s and school community social media. ,
  • Posters and flyers in school and locally in the community.

• We will try and recruit a School Crossing Patrol. Information about the post are on our School Crossing Patrol webpage, which links to Devon Jobs where interest applicants apply online. Vacancies are also promoted through Job Centre Plus and our social media channels.
• Many Patrols come from the wider school community e.g. mealtime assistants, school cleaners, teaching assistants, parents, grandparents, governors, or local residents.
• Therefore, the school and/or wider school community are requested to help with the advertising/promotion of the post using our free recruitment resources.
• The resources include:
  • Posters & flyers.
  • ‘Could you be a Local Hero?’ recruitment film

• • Banner (200 cm wide x 50 cm) high for schools to fix in a suitable location outside the school.
  • Template Recruitment letters to send to parents/carers and wider school community.
  • Recruitment letter when Patrol is leaving.
  • Recruitment letter when there is no Patrol (a vacant site).
• Schools that are pro-active in advertising the post tend to produce more interest.
• The school’s promotion could include:
  • emails and newsletters to parents,
  • note to parents in children’s’ bags,
  • Discussion with PTA,
  • Adding it to the school website,
  • Agenda item at governors meeting
  • Promotion via the school’s and school community social media. ,
  • Posters and flyers in school and locally in the community.

• We will try and recruit a School Crossing Patrol. Information about the post are on our School Crossing Patrol webpage, which links to Devon Jobs where interest applicants apply online. Vacancies are also promoted through Job Centre Plus and our social media channels.
• Many Patrols come from the wider school community e.g. mealtime assistants, school cleaners, teaching assistants, parents, grandparents, governors, or local residents.
• Therefore, the school and/or wider school community are requested to help with the advertising/promotion of the post using our free recruitment resources.
• The resources include:
  • Posters & flyers.
  • ‘Could you be a Local Hero?’ recruitment film

• • Banner (200 cm wide x 50 cm) high for schools to fix in a suitable location outside the school.
  • Template Recruitment letters to send to parents/carers and wider school community.
  • Recruitment letter when Patrol is leaving.
  • Recruitment letter when there is no Patrol (a vacant site).
• Schools that are pro-active in advertising the post tend to produce more interest.
• The school’s promotion could include:
  • emails and newsletters to parents,
  • note to parents in children’s’ bags,
  • Discussion with PTA,
  • Adding it to the school website,
  • Agenda item at governors meeting
  • Promotion via the school’s and school community social media. ,
  • Posters and flyers in school and locally in the community.

Recruitment of Patrols both in Devon and nationally can be a challenge.

Some locations, especially when the school re very pro-active in advertising the vacancy, can attract interest quickly. Other locations in Devon attract no interest at all.

See the section above for tips on how schools can help advertise the post.

• If this is a new site, there are other free options for the school to consider such as a Volunteer School Crossing Marshal or a Walking Bus.
• Existing sites that do not meet the criteria are often considered for de-commissioning. We call this making a site Dormant.  This process happens after consultation with the school, County Councillor and Head of Service. Should the situation change, e.g. increased traffic or pedestrians, a Dormant site can be rejuvenated.
• The site will also be reviewed to consider if any other road safety measures are appropriate.
• Again, there are free options for the school to consider such as Volunteer School Crossing Marshal or a Walking Bus.

• The request must come from the school.
• Firstly, the school should email us the School Travel Plan. This should contain information on where children are walking from and crossing.
• Consider a Volunteer School Crossing Marshal. There are no criteria to be met it just requires a volunteer within the school community.
• We do not have a duty to provide School Crossing Patrols. However, if you there’s a particular location near the school, where many children cross, and it is difficult to do so due to the volume of vehicles, we can carry out an assessment.
• Email crossingpatrols@devon.gov.uk  and provide a description of the exact location and ideally mark it on a map too.

• Patrols, like all employees, are sometimes absent from work due to sickness or other reasons.
• There are no reserve/cover Patrols in Devon.
• Recruiting Patrols to work the normal five hours per week is a challenge. So trying to recruit and employ someone who may only work a few hours in a year is not practical or a safe practice.
• Schools must advise parents/carers/children that there is no Patrol. Additionally, parents/carers should be reminded that they remain responsible at all times for the safety of their children on their whole journey to and from school, regardless of whether a formal crossing or a Patrol is provided.
• As a way of helping to manage safety at vacant site there is the Volunteer School Crossing Marshal option.
  • A Volunteer School Crossing Marshal is a voluntary helper recruited, ‘employed’ and managed by the School and trained by the Council.
  • A Marshal can act as a ‘back up’ when the Patrol is not there.

E-mail: crossingpatrols@devon.gov.uk
Tel: 01392 383000 and when prompted ask for School Crossing Patrols