The Immersive Community Education (ICE) Hub has launched a crowdfunding campaign for “Stepping out safely”, a new series of four short 360-degree VR films designed to help children in Key Stage 2 develop safer pedestrian habits as they begin travelling to and from school more independently.
The series will cover walking to school alone, walking as part of a group, walking at night, and crossing the road safely.
Each film is 2-3 minutes long and has been designed for deployment both immersively in VR headsets and non-immersively on classroom screens, iPads and tablets – ensuring accessibility for all children, including those who are neurodivergent or uncomfortable wearing headsets.
The project responds to DfT data showing that child pedestrian casualties double between ages 9 and 11, and to practitioner demand for engaging, evidence-based educational content addressing this transition period. The THINK! “Safe Adventures” campaign has highlighted the particular risks associated with school travel at this age.
The films draw on paediatric research demonstrating that mobile phone distraction measurably degrades children’s crossing safety, and on a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis which found VR approaches can be effective for teaching children pedestrian safety skills.
Interest in the project was first expressed through the Vision Zero Community network, where practitioners identified a gap in this area.
The ICE Hub has a track record of successfully crowdfunding VR safety films. Its mature driver intervention, Keep Driving VR, was independently evaluated and found to produce statistically significant improvements in both awareness and intention to act, with 93% of participants saying they would recommend the film to a friend. Its water safety 360 film was crowdfunded to £30,000 from approximately half a dozen partners.
Subject to funding, filming is planned for early July, with release targeted for September – in time for the new academic year and darker evenings.
For more information, please contact James at james@latestarter.co.uk.
Comment on this story