Patrols needed to help school children cross the road safely

Have you got what it takes to help Derbyshire children stay safe as they walk to school?

Derbyshire County Council is looking for friendly people to join its team of school crossing patrols helping youngsters get across the road safely.

The authority is looking for people with the skills to deal with children, parents and all road users, who are happy working in all weathers and with an awareness of road safety.

No formal qualifications are needed, just a natural rapport with people, as recruits will be given all the training they need to carry out the role. They will be provided with waterproof, high-visibility uniforms.

In Derbyshire, there are 107 school crossing patrol sites and there are currently 37 vacancies across the county.

Councillor Dawn Abbott, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, said: “Our patrols do an amazing job helping children cross safely on their way to and from school. Knowing that a patrol is there to support them allows families to consider walking to school instead of driving, which can help them keep fit, beat traffic jams and reduce pollution.

“So I would appeal to people of all ages to consider taking on one of these vital roles to support their local community.”

School crossing patrols are part-time and need to be able to work every day of the school term, with shifts at the beginning and end of the school day. Although only required to work during term time, wages are paid all year on a pro-rata basis.

Councillor Abbott added: “As the job is part-time it makes it suitable for stay-at-home parents who want to earn a bit of extra money or people who are retired and want to give back to their community.

“It can also be suitable for people who can only work for shorter periods of time due to a disability for instance or even students, who could fit it in around their studies.

“We’re also working with the Job Centre to highlight other part time opportunities which would fit in around the school crossing patrol hours, for instance as a school cook or caretaker, to enable people to make use of the time between shifts and earn more money.”

The application process has also been simplified with people only required to give basic details before being contacted by one of the team who will help them to progress their application further.

To apply visit: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/schoolcrossingpatroljobs

Anyone over the age of 18 can apply and will need to take part in a disclosure and barring check.

To find out more call 01629 538063 or email school.crossingpatrol @ derbyshire.gov.uk