Pupils from Shepherdswell Academy in Milton Keynes are trying a new approach in a bid to encourage parents to slow down and park more sensibly around their school.
Members of the school council’s parking team have been laying items of school uniform on the yellow zig-zag lines to encourage them to drive more responsibly.
Year 2 pupil Robin Ridgwell said: “We are putting clothes out on the pavement to show parents that they shouldn’t be parking there and they need to slow down.”
The children have also been issuing ‘parking tickets’ to people who park on the kerb or the zig-zag lines, and have a banner designed by the pupils themselves outside the school to reiterate the message.
Elaine Noctor, family liaison officer at Shepherdswell Academy, said: “Members of our school council went out to conduct an experiment and to feedback on their findings about the speed in which cars where driving past the school, and parking on the zigzag lines.
“They placed a few items of school clothing on the zig zag lines and the kerb to represent a child. They then stood back and monitored the reactions of drivers. Several parents walking past asked the children what they were doing.
“We have noticed an improvement since we started this last week. It’s something we’ll need to do every few weeks to keep reminding parents of the importance of parking responsibly.”
Hollie-Rose Charters, who is in Year 2, said: “When we put the clothes down the cars did slow down, so it really worked.”
