Schoolchildren across England will now receive life-saving rail safety education as part of the national curriculum, marking a significant step forward in efforts to reduce trespass, misuse of level crossings and prevent avoidable incidents on the railway.
As rail safety becomes a mandatory element of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education from September, Network Rail and Southeastern, working together as the integrated South Eastern Railway, are enhancing lessons through the use of virtual reality (VR) technology.
The innovative programme allows pupils to experience realistic railway scenarios from a first-person perspective using VR headsets. The technology places children in situations involving trespassing and level crossing misuse, helping them understand the potentially devastating consequences of unsafe behaviour around the railway.
The initiative builds on existing educational outreach delivered by rail safety teams across the network. Specialists regularly visit schools to provide age-appropriate safety awareness sessions designed to encourage safer behaviour around stations, tracks and level crossings.
A key part of the programme is delivered at the Travel Safe Travel Smart centre in Margate, where pupils can learn about railway safety in a controlled environment. Combining access to real railway infrastructure with immersive virtual reality technology, the centre provides powerful demonstrations of the dangers posed by the railway.
Children are taught about the risks associated with the third rail system, which carries up to 750 volts of electricity and can prove fatal on contact. They also learn about the limitations of train braking distances, with many passenger trains weighing around 400 tonnes and often unable to stop quickly enough to avoid someone on the track.
Nicola Dooris, Community Safety Manager, said:
“We bring children from year 5 upwards to Margate to teach them about the dangers of the railway when it is not used safely. The centre plays an important role in helping young people become safer travellers.
"Our approach is both proactive, teaching children how to use the railway safely, and reactive, visiting schools after trespass incidents to deliver hard-hitting lessons that help prevent repeat offences.”
Schools across Kent can arrange visits to the Margate centre or request in-school sessions from the Travel Safe Travel Smart team.
Alongside the curriculum changes, the rail industry has relaunched the Switched On rail safety website with refreshed content tailored to different age groups.
For children aged three to six, Switched On Travels with Suzi introduces core safety messages through animation, quizzes and interactive resources following the adventures of Suzi and her mum as they travel by rail.
Pupils aged seven to eleven are encouraged to develop hazard awareness, improve decision-making and recognise risky behaviour. New learning materials include activities based on the popular Arlo's Adventures series, as well as posters, games and classroom resources covering stations, tracks and level crossings.
For young people aged 12 to 16, updated resources feature educational videos from science communicator Big Manny, focusing on the dangers of railways and the consequences of unsafe choices. The content also explores peer pressure, decision-making and the growing influence of social media trends involving railway environments.
The inclusion of rail safety within the national curriculum is expected to significantly expand the reach of these educational initiatives, providing millions of pupils with the knowledge needed to stay safe around Britain's railway network while helping to reduce incidents that continue to impact passengers, railway staff and local communities.
Image credit: Network Rail
