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School crossing patrols

Supporting Safer Journeys to and from School

Helping children arrive at school safely is a shared priority for schools, families, and the wider community. Our School Crossing Patrol service provides a highly visible, reassuring presence at key crossing points, supporting pupils, parents and carers at the busiest times of the school day.

Our trained School Crossing Patrol Officers – often fondly known as lollipop men and ladies – help children and adults cross the road safely at the start and end of the school day. The service promotes confidence, supports independence and encourages positive road safety awareness, enabling pupils to travel to and from school more safely.

Benefits to your school

Schools choosing to invest in a School Crossing Patrol will benefit from:

  • Improved safety at crossing points outside of schools.
  • Greater confidence for pupils, including enabling safer independent travel for older pupils.
  • Reassurance for parents, carers and school staff.
  • Support for active travel, helping to reduce congestion and unsafe stopping near school entrances.

A partnership approach

School Crossing Patrols are not a statutory requirement; however, many schools choose to buy into the service because of the clear benefits to pupil safety, wellbeing, and independence.

While parents remain responsible for their children’s journeys to and from school, a crossing patrol provides additional support at locations where traffic levels or road layouts make crossing more challenging.
The service operates on a full cost recovery basis, funded by the school.

What we provide

When you buy into the service, we will:

  • Recruit, train and manage the School Crossing Patrol Officer
  • Provide uniforms, equipment and risk assessments
  • Monitor sites and provide ongoing service support
  • This ensures a reliable, professionally managed service, allowing schools to focus on their pupils.

Requesting a School Crossing Patrol

If there is a location near your school where pupils would benefit from additional support when crossing the road, we can carry out an assessment to determine whether a School Crossing Patrol would be suitable.

To request an assessment, please provide:

  • The name of the road
  • The primary crossing point used by pupils

We will review the location and work in partnership with the school to establish a patrol, subject to funding agreement.

For further information or to discuss an assessment, please contact Sarah Green on 01803 207678 or email sarah.green@swisco.co.uk.