SECTION FIVE COMMENTARY AND CONCLUSIONS
This report has shown that there are few differences in the manner in which the child pedestrian training programme was delivered and in the way it was received in Scotland, compared with England. Road Safety Officers and co-ordinators found it operable in a range of challenging environments (including across a large rural area) and it was generally well received by the schools, volunteers and children involved. The key ingredients for the successful implementation of the programme were similar to those identified in the broader study: the quality of the co-ordinator, the supply of volunteers and the co-operation of schools.
The programme clearly reflects the ethos of the Scottish education system and was readily combined with existing initiatives, such as the Junior Road Safety Officer scheme, to reinforce general road safety messages across the whole school. The Scottish curriculum encourages schools to undertake health education initiatives which promote partnership between schools and the local community and Kerbcraft has provided an opportunity for many schools in Scotland's most deprived areas to develop better community partnerships. Feedback from Scottish schemes and participating schools suggests a strong desire to sustain Kerbcraft in Scotland in the future, and that there are a number of alternative strategies for consideration including: making central funding available; schools consortium funding of blocks of training from authority personnel and provision of support and training for schools to undertake the scheme themselves.
The evaluation of the national child pedestrian training programme, in both Scotland and England, contributes to the field in a number of ways. It provides a report of a major field trial, which operated in a variety of settings, taking specific account of the effects of rurality, ethnicity and social deprivation. In addition, the outcomes of the skills assessment component (which was only funded in a sample of English schemes) confirm the earlier findings of the (Scottish) Drumchapel pilot scheme, but this time in a larger and more disparate sample.
The overall study has made a contribution to two approaches related to tackling inequalities. In relation to strengthening individuals, the study has demonstrated an increase in children's pedestrian skills and has enhanced the range of volunteers' skills in working with children and working more closely with schools. In relation to strengthening communities, the study has shown that it has been possible to recruit and retain a large number of community volunteers and strengthen their links with local schools and local authorities.