The Riot Act is coming to secondary schools across Warwickshire this December!
Warwickshire County Council is delighted to announce the further commissioning of The Riot Act to deliver theatre in education performances to secondary schools throughout the county between the 6 – 12 December 2023.
The Riot Act design and deliver bespoke interventions for young people and specialise in delivering key road safety messaging in ways that have a lasting behavioural and educational impact.
Warwickshire secondary schools who have demonstrated a commitment to Warwickshire’s secondary road safety education programme – The Journey – and promoting road safety messaging throughout their schools are invited to participate.
Research and data provide evidence that children under the age of 16, are one of the most vulnerable road users, with a peak in child pedestrian injury collisions between the ages of 12-15 years. The Council’s vision is to work collaboratively with road safety partners to engage with schools, teachers, and pupils to educate on safe behaviours and change intention to take risks, with the aim to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
The scheduled performance, titled ‘What You Gonna Do’ is being offered to Year 9 pupils, and focuses on age appropriate, key road safety messages, which include how to:
- Understand the potential consequences of risk taking, for self and others.
- Recognise potential situations and motivators/triggers for risk taking.
- Identify and develop strategies to manage and minimise risk as road users.
- Recognise the role individuals, play in supporting others and managing safety of others.
The performance and accompanying workshop incorporate recognised behaviour change techniques to change the intention to take unnecessary risks and provide strategies to self-regulate behaviour to become safer road users.
Cllr Jan Matecki, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said: “This is great news for Secondary school pupils across Warwickshire that many of them will have the opportunity to see The Riot Act in action and learn through performances and associated workshops, how to take responsibility and become better road users.
“In Warwickshire, we are very proud of our road safety education offer to schools, which thrives on innovation and doing things differently to ensure that Warwickshire’s children and young people have the range of positive road safety behaviours that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.”
Similar sessions were delivered last academic year and received excellent feedback, with evaluation evidencing that it had been successful in changing attitudes:
“A brilliant performance. Excellent and engaged all pupils immediately. The best drama group we ever had in!”
“Amazing and the performance and message were very powerful. The whole year group were enthralled. Perfectly balanced with knowledge, humour and a strong safety message.”
If you would like to find out more about ‘The Journey’, Warwickshire’s comprehensive programme of road safety education for secondary schools visit www.safeactivetravelwcc.co.uk or contact: roadsafetysecondary@warwickshire.gov.uk.
To keep up to date with news and events please follow Warwickshire County Council Road Safety education Team on social media. Facebook @WCCSafeActiveTravel and Twitter @WCCSafe_Active.
More information about The Riot Act can be found online: https://www.theriotact.co.uk/