Junior Safety Officers

Introducing Our Junior Safety Officers

We are pleased to announce that Annabel and Arabella have been appointed this year as our Junior Safety Officers (JSOs). Working together with Mrs Evans, they have an important role in helping our school community stay safer — both on the roads and more generally around school and in the local neighbourhood.

What is the Junior Safety Officer Scheme?

The Junior Safety Officer scheme is run by Cheshire West & Chester Council’s Road Safety Team, in partnership with Cheshire Constabulary, and is open to primary schools across the borough.

It is a community-based programme in which usually two Year 6 pupils (Annabel and Arabella) (along with a staff “buddy” - Mrs Evans) are selected to act as JSOs for their school year.

The purpose is to empower pupils to be active safety champions, raising awareness about road safety, personal safety and community safety among their peers, school staff, families and the wider community.

What Do JSOs Do?

Here are some of the key responsibilities and activities of JSOs:

Activity

Purpose/Impact

Read out monthly safety messages or bulletins (e.g. in assemblies)

To keep safety tips front of mind for all pupils

Maintain a school safety notice board

A visible place for safety reminders, tips, posters

Run safety-themed competitions or initiatives

To engage pupils and encourage thinking about safe behaviour

Promote road safety (e.g. wearing high-visibility clothing, zebra crossing use, helmet use)

To help reduce accidents and incidents around school

Work with the local PCSO or road safety officers

Sometimes they might help with speed checks, parking awareness campaigns, or “no idling” zones near school

Log or report their activities in a JSO handbook

To reflect on what they’ve done and measure impact

At the end of the school year, the JSOs who have made the most impact can be nominated for “Junior Safety Officers of the Year.”

Why It Matters

  • It gives pupils a real leadership role with responsibility and purpose.

  • It spreads important safety messages among children, staff, parents and the broader community.

  • It gives JSOs first-hand experience in organisation, communication and teamwork.

  • It helps to reduce risk of road accidents and promote safer behaviour around school, improving wellbeing for everyone.

  • The scheme is recognised and supported by local authority and police, so the work done by JSOs is valued at a local level.

Our JSOs This Year

We are excited to have Annabel and Arabella leading this work at our school. Over the coming months, you’ll see them:

  • Delivering safety messages in whole-school assemblies

  • Updating our safety noticeboard

  • Running competitions (e.g. design a safety poster)

  • Helping promote walking, cycling or safer parking around the school

  • Liaising with staff, pupils and possibly the PCSO to raise awareness

We hope you’ll support them and take notice when they share important messages — whether about wearing a helmet, crossing the road safely, parking considerately or staying alert online or in the community.