YORK Primary School children have designed posters to raise awareness of dangerous driving and parking around their school.

Pupils of Poppleton Road Primary School took part in a competition to design the posters asking parents to be more considerate when driving and parking around the school at the start and end of each day.

The winning posters have been displayed around the school, plus all of them have been printed onto a banner on the school gates.

Local Ward councillor Kallum Taylor judged the winning entries by choosing a winner from each school year, upon how clear the posters were visually and the strength of their message.

Debbie Glover, the Head Teacher said: “We’re proud that our pupils have got behind this so enthusiastically and we hope that their work might help change the habits of those who need to.

"The vast majority of our school community are considerate and careful but the situation outside of school is horrendous - people park on double yellow lines, on the zig zags, despite us having barriers there, over corners, and make it very difficult for children to cross safely.

"We have spent our own money on cones and coning off the most dangerous areas, they are totally inconsiderate to residents, blocking drives and park in private residents' parking.

The school, the Friends of Poppleton Road School, and Ward councillors, are now collaborating on a plan to improve the car situation outside the school over the coming years.

Councillor Kallum said: “It’s great that these kids want to help make travelling to school safer - looking at their work they have a more serious grasp of the situation than those who create daily hazards outside their school gates.

"In a nutshell it is a high pressure area - on typical mornings and afternoons, there is reckless driving as people try to quickly get in and out on the main access road - Seldon Road- and the very busy main Poppleton Road, there is sometimes abuse from drivers who do not take kindly to being asked to be careful and get frustrated with other drivers in the same boat."

"I really hope this is the start of an ongoing, joint effort between the school, residents, and us as councillors, to improve the situation here.”

A Year Two pupil, Kellan Richardson, who is a school councillor, wrote a letter addressing parents about the situation.

Kellan said: “I think more families should park further away from school and walk and just set off from home a little bit earlier.

"This would mean that there are less cars around school making it much safer for children and their families, and much better for our planet."