ADVENTURE WITH MICRO
HOW TO PLAN FOR SCOOTSAFE
Beverley
Beverley is one of the members of our customer service team. A walking font of all knowledge she knows everything there is to know about scooters and accessories.
Delivery of your training scheme :
You need to decide when the training will take place, who is going to take overall responsibility for it, which classes will be involved, what activities they will take part in, where, and make adequate provision of resources to deliver the training
Training area :
Even if you decide only to provide the outdoor activities, you will need a suitable space for these.
Ideally this needs to be within school grounds,
Hard standing / tarmac surface without potholes, and relatively level
Away from vehicle traffic / pedestrian access routes
The pilots found that an area approximately 25m x 10m gave scope for a variety of activities, but you can adapt the activities and group size to the space that you have available
You should conduct and record a risk assessment for the training area
Trees and other obstacles present in the training area can be incorporated in to activities
If you decide to extend the training to include traffic hazard perception, it is particularly important that the school fully appreciates the added risks associated with this :
Either :
Select and set up an area within school grounds where pavements, dropped kerbs, and parked vehicles (get vehicle owners permission) can be used to simulate a street environment
Quarantine this area from any vehicle access / movement during training sessions using barrier tape / cones
Conduct and record a risk Assessment for this activity
Or :
Select an appropriate area outside school grounds where this training can be undertaken safely
Conduct and record a specific risk assessment for this activity
Significantly increase the pupil / supervision ratio for this activity
Choose a time of day when vehicle and pedestrian traffic is minimal
Parental consent
Scoot safe training does involve physical activity, various forms of equipment, the potential for pupils to fall over and suffer minor cuts and bruises, potential for a variety of staff, volunteers and parents / guardians to be involved in the training.
Therefore in planning your Scoot Safe Week you should take account of your schools Health and Safety and Child Protection policies, and apply them accordingly.
In particular it is recommended that formal parents consent is obtained for every pupil taking part in the training activities.
The person delivering the training needs to have access to the register recording that consent has been given for participating pupils.
Safety
Scooting is a physical activity and there are risks of minor slips, trips and falls with associated minor injuries of cuts and bruises.
Formal risk assessment prior to delivering the outdoor activities is essential
It is recommended that the school set a minimum standard for all pupils taking part in the outdoor training activities. This might include :
Their own helmet
Enclosed footwear with rubber soles (not open toed / slip on)
Adequate and appropriate clothing for outdoor physical activity (NB Trousers recommended rather than shorts or skirts)
Additional personal protective equipment could include : gloves, wrist, elbow and knee pads.
Scooter safety checks :
The pilot training schemes found that it was essential that scooters were checked before starting the riding activities to ensure that they were fit and safe to use. This can be incorporated into the first session, and there is a classroom activity card to also raise awareness of this. Scooter Checklist
Promoting Scoot Safe Week
Your school may wish to make provision for loan vehicles if a child’s scooter does not pass the safety check for the training.
For the school and pupils to get the most out of this training activity, pupils and parents need to be made aware that it is happening.
An Assembly session prior to the week is a good way of raising pupil awareness. This can also be an opportunity for cross curriculum work with a chance to involve pupils in activities including performance and presentation, producing posters, and helping to conduct pre-training surveys. View our assembly plan assembly plan
Followed up with a letter to parents which is an opportunity to recruit volunteers and obtain parental consent. View our parents letter parents letter
An Assembly session at the end of Scoot Safe Week is an opportunity to celebrate pupil participation and success in the training, present prizes and certificates if you wish, and conduct post training pupil evaluation. End of Scoot Safe – Assembly Plan
Training evaluation :
It is suggested that you should plan for before and after evaluation, see “Hands up survey” and parental evaluation here
Equipment :
The following will are desirable to follow the suggested activities :
Whistle for staff
Clipboards for staff / volunteers to hold notes / register etc
Hi Visibility tabards / clothing
To identify staff / volunteers
For pupils if this is part of your travel to school plan
A selection of traffic cones / sports markers – to follow the suggested activities ideally you need 24 :
10 round cones or markers
2 square markers
8 diamond markers
4 triangle markers
You may wish to print out and laminate some of the Scoot Safe resources such as the activity cards to act as aide memoir for staff, and the road signs to use with pupils
An adult scooter (or scooters) is a useful extra to have so that trainers can demonstrate some of the techniques and games / activities
For the first session some basic tools should be available in case it is found that scooters need minor adjustments to make them safe to use. Micro Scooters products require a “Phillips” / cross head screw driver (manual not electric), a 3mm and a 5mm Allen key. The tools required for other makes may vary.
If your school decides to award prizes such as scooter bells to pupils at the end of the week you may want to have appropriate tools available so that pupils awarded such prizes can have them fitted to go home with.