Pupils write leaflets to hand to problem parkers

Hard-hitting messages have been handed out by pupils like Kunesha

Pupils worried about parking problems at their school gates put felt-tip pen to paper to create leaflets and posters to highlight road safety concerns.

Children at a Derby school were so concerned about the dangers that parking in the morning and afternoons posed to their safety, they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School pupils created leaflets highlighting the dangers of pavement parking and asking parents to park further away from the site, shared with Ravensdale Juniors.

Year 2 and 3 pupils then donned high-vis jackets and went out alongside staff to hand out their handiwork.

Children and their head teacher handing out their leaflets outside school

Lorna Blanchenot, Ravensdale Infant head teacher, told the BBC they had seen several near misses with about 700 pupils having to come in and out of the campus each day.

She said: “We’ve had a real issue here with parking in the morning and after school, where people are blocking driveways, parking on the pavements, and children can’t get through.

“We’ve tried to do something about it with newsletters, but it hasn’t made much difference so the school council decided they would get involved.

Stanley says "don't park here"

“The posters are great, all their own work, and they get the message across. They’re quite hard-hitting.

“Most parents have been really thankful for the difference it’s making. It’s making the area safer.”

Some residents in the area have even bought their own traffic cones to help discourage problem parking in the area.

One resident, Jackie Nicklin, said: “It’s very dangerous. Cars just park opposite each other, if there was an ambulance or a fire engine, it would never get down [the road].”

All the posters were hand-written

One student, Nai, said: “We’ve been handing out these posters so people don’t park in the wrong place.

“They tell them not to park here because you might hurt somebody’s child.”

Student Amelia said: “Sometimes people are parking next to the school gates, and people with pushchairs, dogs, wheelchairs, and people who can’t walk very well can’t get through."

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