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School crossing patrols

The aim of the School Crossing Patrol Service is to ensure that children and adults can travel easily and safely whilst on their journeys to and from school.

School Crossing Patrols (SCP) were established by the School Crossing Patrol Act 1953 and implemented through the School Crossing Patrol Order 1954.

The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 gave Local Authorities the power to appoint SCPs to help children cross the road on their route to or from school between the hours of 8:00am and 5:30pm.

The Transport Act 2000, which came into force in 2001, amended the 1984 Regulations to permit Patrols to:

  • operate “at such times as the authority thinks fit”
  • stop traffic
  • help all pedestrians to cross the road whether or not they are travelling to or from school.

The location of school crossing patrols is decided based on an assessment by the Council's Road Safety Team. The assessment takes into account local factors such as:

  • road/footpath width
  • vehicle speed
  • site visibility
  • age of children crossing the road
  • child pedestrian accident data
  • bus stops in the vicinity of the crossing
  • road junctions

Category one and two school crossing patrols

There are two categories of school crossing patrols and these are risk assessed by the council’s Road Safety Team as to which criteria they meet in line with national standards for road safety.

Category 1

A School Crossing Patrol Warden is on duty at specific times during school opening hours because of the potential road safety risks and is not supported by secondary crossing facilities i.e. pedestrian, pelican, zebra crossings etc.

Category 2

A School Crossing Patrol Warden is supported by secondary crossing facilities i.e. pedestrian, pelican, zebra crossings, therefore these are risk scored lower than a category 1.

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Traffic warden at school crossing
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Traffic warden and crossing
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Walsall Council currently provides and funds a non statutory School Crossing Patrol function at 82 sites across the borough, comprising 44 category 1 crossings and 38 category 2 crossings.

As of June 2014 there are 27 category 2 crossings which are currently vacant and non-operational.

You can view examples of category one and two school crossing locations (PDF 630KB)

Road safety training and awareness in schools

Walsall Council takes the safety of all road users, in particular young children, very seriously and our Road Safety Team risk assess every crossing in the borough and monitors all personal injury collisions that occur within the borough.

They also work closely with schools in providing road safety education and training for pupils via its A*Stars Programme.

The programme provides a series of walking, cycling, scooting and road safety initiatives, along with training, expertise and support for schools to help them develop and promote safer, healthier lifestyle choices for all.

School crossing patrol jobs

School crossing patrol vacancies are listed on the council's job shop pages when they are available.

Highway Code regarding road users requiring extra care

The most vulnerable road users are pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders. It is particularly important to be aware of children, older and disabled people, and learner and inexperienced drivers and riders. Section 204 to 225 of the Highway Code covers road users requiring extra care.

Contact us: schoolcrossingpatrols@walsall.gov.uk

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