Almost half the teachers interviewed (47 per cent) for a Scottish Executive-backed study of the effectiveness of Streetsense say that the pack has made a significant impact on children’s knowledge of road safety.

One in three says it has made a significant improvement in attitudes and almost one in five (18 per cent) says it led to a significant improvement in behaviour around the school, although teachers accepted it was difficult to measure the impact.

Many schools were not using the pack because they did not know about it, did not have enough time in an already overcrowded curriculum or were reluctant to change what they were already doing.

The pack was launched in 2003 by Road Safety Scotland but one in five primaries surveyed by the Carole Millar Research organisation did not have a copy. One in five schools said it had not been well promoted and only one in four had any training on how to use the materials. Lack of time was the main constraint.

Of those who have a copy, three out of four use it, which represents 60 per cent of schools surveyed. Lesson plans, teachers’ notes and worksheets were seen as the most useful aspects. Some believed there was too much emphasis on worksheets while others said it could be repetitive. Photocopying was a major issue in some schools.