A STRATTON school held a special session to help pupils learn about anti-bullying, online protection and road safety.

Kingsdown School organised the event with a particular focus on road safety because of the high amount of traffic accidents on Hyde Road and to encourage pedestrians and drivers to be responsible and sensible.

An elderly man was rushed to hospital after being hit by a car near the school in October, an 11-year-old boy was hurt near the Beechcroft Road junction in the same month, and an 11-year-old girl was knocked down outside the school in March,

Year 10 student Callum Harris produced a road safety video while Year 11 students student leadership team members Libby Stevenson and Bobby Ward worked with staff to promote the useful messages to their classmates.

They led a school assembly last week streamed to every staff member and pupil in the school.

During this assembly, the two students spoke powerfully about the importance of personal safety and came up with a clever slogan which the whole school has taken on - Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow.

Headteacher Emma Leigh-Bennett said: “We have seen far too many near misses on Hyde Road in the last year. As a school we are working with the council to get and bring about safety improvements. It’s taking too long though.

“We have been so grateful for these groups to support our ongoing message of children’s safety. I wholeheartedly get behind Libby and Bobby’s message of Alert Today - Alive Tomorrow.

“Kingsdown students, staff and governors are behind this but the pace of safety change is too slow. We need and must have more action from those who can effect change and who can truly keep our students Alive Tomorrow.”

The school teamed up with Wiltshire Police, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service, Arval, The Diana Award and Swindon Borough Council to deliver the safety day as part of the students’ personal development programme.

The day and future activities are sponsored and supported by Nationwide, Tesco, Michael’s Workwear, NSPCC, Matt Fiddes, TCG Media, Fitzparick’s Boxing Gym, Swindon Town Community Foundation, Bristol Diocese, Your Sport Swindon, Metro Bank, Swindon 105.5FM, Coles Scaffolding and Payslip Accountants.

A Nationwide spokesman said: “We’ve partnered with The Diana Awards Anti-Bullying programme to get 10,000 newly trained ambassadors in schools across the UK by 2023.

“We believe mutual respect and being able to be who you are is truly important which is why we invited The Diana Award to Kingsdown School to share this message with its students.

“After significant events of last year from Covid-19 to cultural movements, it’s more important than ever to ensure young people are safe and free from bullying behaviours.”