Road safety

At Sawtry Junior Academy we are lucky that most of our children are able to walk to school. Walking to school has many benefits including getting fresh air and exercise, reducing air pollution and time to socialise with friends.

With the school being in the heart of the village, there are several different approaches to the school entrance and for some children many different roads to cross.

With two other education providers on site (Buttons and Bows pre-school and Sawtry Infants School) as well as Sawtry Village Academy nearby, at the start and the end of the day there is often a lot of traffic and pedestrian congestion. Keeping safe is essential.

We have a road safety working party who meet regularly to explore ways to ensure road safety is prioritised and promoted. Most recently we have been successful in securing time restricted single yellow lines aroud the school entrance and Middlefield Road. This has really helped to improve safety. We expect all parents/carers dropping off and collecting to respect this and not park on the lines. We also ask that courtesy is shown to our neighbours and driveways or pavements are not blocked. Traffic enforcement officers from time to time visit and will issue tickets.

If you need to raise a concern or a complaint about any aspect of road safety / parking or congestions at the beginning or end of the school day then you can do so electronically here. If the matter is of an urgent nature, please do not hesitate to contact the Academy office 01487 830204 office@sawtryjunior.org

Our school travel plan outlines the initiatives and targets we are focusing on to make journeys to school as safe and sustainable as possible. We have been accredited with Modeshift Stars and awarded Bronze level.

Link to Modeshift stars national travel accreditation and awards

Advice for pedestrians

Always cross in a safe place, away from parked cars and junctions.

Make sure you cross safely. The link below is for some road safety resources to remind you.

Do not cross the road looking at your mobile phone!

Use the pedestrian crossing on Green End Road if you are going in that direction.

Choose the safest route to and from school

Wear clothing in the winter that is bright or reflective so drivers can see you.

When you are passing other pedestrians, walk in single file or wait until they have passed you – do not step out into the road to let them pass.

Advice for drivers

If you can walk, please do so.

If you have no alternative but to drive, please park safety and legally – away from the zig zag lines, time restricted yellow lines and junctions. Try to car share if possible.

Additional parking (park and walk) is available at The Parish Council Car Park and Sawtry Ex-servicemen’s club.

Please show courtesy for our neighbours and do not block their driveways.

The Staff car park is designated for staff only and is not for Public use. Please ensure this is respected, even when the car park attendant is not on duty. This also keeps the children safe as they enter and exit the site.

Advice for pupils entering the site on cycles or scooters

Make sure you follow exactly the same advice as for pedestrians

You are not permitted to cycle or scoot on school site as there is a risk you will knock someone over .

Use the bike stands or scooter racks to safety store your bike or scooter

Sign up for bikeability (year 5) or scoot smart (year 3) when the letters are sent out each year.

Year 5 Bikeability

Travel surveys

To help us keep safe and to create as pleasant an environment as possible in our village, we send out annual travel surveys. This helps us to identify emerging issues or problems and work with the community to create safer streets. Below are the results of the most recent surveys. Thank you to all staff, parents / carers and pupils who took the time to complete them.