Hertfordshire County Council has developed a new educational resource to combat the problem of children being distracted while walking.
The resource, ‘Dealing with distraction’, has been developed by Hertfordshire’s Safe & Sustainable Journeys in Schools (SSJ) team on the back of research which shows that children are being distracted by mobile technology while walking, which in turn is “resulting in more accidents”.
The research indicates that children aged between 10 and 12 are particularly vulnerable. This is often when they are beginning to travel independently, but rather than their full focus being on their safety it is often on their phone and friends.
The resource, which is available to Hertfordshire schools on request, comprises a learning pack which includes a DVD and downloadable resources – “everything a teacher needs to run a successful distractions workshop”, according to the SSJ team.
The team initially trialled ‘Dealing with distraction’ at selected schools before developing a complete package which can be used by all schools. The team says the response from the schools that have participated in the programme to date has been very encouraging, and that pupils have engaged well with the scheme.
Mr Alexandre, a teacher at Laurance Haines School in Watford, described the resource as "a fun and engaging way of teaching some of the dangers of being distracted on the road”, adding that “the final product showed what the children had learnt and how much fun it was".
For more information about the resource contact the SSJ team.
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