School leads the way in road safety once again
A PRIMARY school in Mayo was the setting for the launch of the Junior Road Safety Officer Scheme (JRSO) in Ireland, and it is one of the first schools to sign up to this new initiative which captures the imagination of children while reinforcing the road safety message.
Pupils aged between nine and 11 are recruited to the post in a variety of ways including completing an application form and attending an interview. Successful pupils will be empowered to highlight road safety issues within their school by raising awareness amongst fellow pupils, their teachers and the local community whilst maintaining an important link with their road safety education officer.
The JRSO scheme for fifth and sixth class pupils was launched in Derrywash National School, Castlebar.
Mayo County Council road safety office has helped schools to appoint JRSOs in their school. Supported by a member of staff, two JRSOs in each school take responsibility for ensuring their fellow pupils understand what they can do to keep themselves safe. Their responsibilities includes delivering road safety assemblies, running competitions and maintaining a road safety notice board.
At an event to mark the launch, the JRSOs learnt about the importance of their role and what is expected of them. They also take part in workshops covering topics including making a radio commercial and learning how to develop catchy yet meaningful slogans.
Commented Mrs. Aishling McDonnell, acting principal: “Derrywash National School previously received a national award in 2008 from the RSA for its rerecording of the safe cross code with comedian Brendan Grace, and road safety is still a top priority within our school.
“The main aim of this scheme is to give children the opportunity to identify road safety problems within their own school area and helps them to pass important messages to their peers about keeping safe when they are out and about.
“It aims to give the children a good grounding in road safety education as they prepare to make the transition to secondary school – the point at which many children begin to travel independently for the first time.”