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OPERON HELPS CHILDREN IN ROCHDALE TO STAY SAFE . . .

Children at four Rochdale primary schools are being encouraged to stay safe when they’re out and about thanks to sponsorship from Operon, one of the country’s leading facilities management companies.

Operon, which manages seven Rochdale schools including the Gracie Fields Theatre Oulder Hill Leisure Centre and M6 Theatre, has donated learning resources to a scheme run by the Children’s Safety Education Foundation (CSEF), a national charity, which has reached over one million children through the provision of life saving safety programmes and educational resources.

Key stage 2 pupils aged seven to 11 at Hamer, Springside, Marland Hill, Oulder Hill and Hollin schools received Out and About, a unique educational resource developed with the Government’s Road Strategy ‘Tomorrow’s Roads - Safer for Everyone’ in mind.

The scheme will see over 500 pupils, including some with special needs, benefit from books designed to give them the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to travel safely on a daily basis.

Young people are advised how to travel safely on foot, road, rail, canal and plane and what to do in an emergency. The activities are designed so that they not only stimulate discussion but also link closely to the children’s own experiences.

Jenny Hoyle, assistant head, and year five and six teacher at Hamer, said: “We are absolutely delighted with these learning resources.
“We’re currently doing a project on the Rochdale canal so Out and About ties in brilliantly. The children are able to learn about safety by the canal and what to do in an emergency.

“We’re also in a really busy part of Rochdale, so it’s a great toolkit for children to use to stay safe in their environment, and as each child has their own copy, year six pupils can keep with them as a reference point when they go on to senior school.”

David Rae, Operon FM operations manager, said: “We really want to make a difference and help save children’s lives. We were keen to get involved in local schools to help make children aware of the dangers when travelling, whether that’s on longer journeys or to school and back each day, and we teamed up with CSEF as we knew they had so much experience in this area.”

Gail Hargreaves, schools co-ordinator, CSEF, said: “It’s a fact that the start of secondary school is the most dangerous year for children on Britain's roads.”

“More than 1,600 children between the ages of 12 and 15 are killed or seriously injured each year compared to nearly 1,000 eight to 11-year-olds. Our objective is to provide every child between the ages of seven and 11 years throughout the UK with their own personal copies of 'Out and About' to give them the knowledge and understanding that will enable them to make informed decisions.”

Operon manages contracts for the Department for Transport and other Government organisations, and continues to expand its operational presence in the Education sector with charity partnerships at Aston University and Buckingham New University; and clients including Rochdale Schools, Aberdeen Schools, North Yorkshire Schools, Gateshead College, Stockport College and The Manchester College.