Review of the S1/S2 PSD Road safety Education Resource

In October 2007 the Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland commissioned Colin Buchanan, in association with RSN Associates, to review the existing S1/S2 Personal and Social Development ( PSD) Road Safety Education Resource and provide recommendations on how to update and improve the materials.

The S1/S2 PSD Road Safety Education Resource was launched in April 2002. It was intended that the resource follow the guidelines outlined in 5-14 curriculum (levels D and E) and that the activities set out in the resource link to road safety attainment targets. Every school in Scotland was supplied with a hard-back folder containing activity sheets, teachers' notes and materials related to the play 'The Nine Lives of Roddy Hogg' 2.

This paper reviews the uptake and use of the S1/S2 PSD Road Safety Education Resource and provides recommendations for the development of an updated resource.

The research concludes that while the S1/S2 PSD Road Safety Education resource was not necessarily considered inappropriate, the limitations of the existing resource to support the present day demands of the education system were noted by teachers, pupils and Road Safety Officers. There was consensus that a new resource was required, rather than the existing resource simply being amended.
A summary of the recommendations:

• Develop a new resource with the focus on PSE, but allow reference to the role that health and wellbeing plays across the curriculum
• Devise activities specifically developed for S1, with particular reference to their first term of secondary school
• Devise distinct activities for S2 that extend their knowledge and encourage active involvement in decision making
• Develop a resource that utilises modern technology
• Incorporate active learning experiences that are not dependent on technology for their delivery
• Ensure that a new resource is not intrinsically linked to a Theatre in Education production
• Continue with the existing Theatre in Education production (Roddy Hogg road safety play) but look to updating this in the future
• Consider how awareness of the resource can be raised in schools and make use of existing professional education networks to inform teachers

Please find links to the publications below:

For the full report click here

For the research findings click here