How can my school get a School Crossing Patrol site?
The school or any of the parents can request an assessment for a crossing by contacting the School Crossing Patrol Service (See contact details). The assessment criteria is explained below.
Pedestrian Vehicle Assessments (PV²)
The PV² formula is used by Leicestershire County Council School Crossing Patrol Service to assess the need for a school crossing patrol site. New sites and existing sites that become vacant due to the Patrol resigning are tested for eligibility. The criteria is based upon the RoSPA guidelines for the provision of a school crossing patrol site. In Leicestershire the criteria has been lowered to make it more likely for a School Crossing Patrol to be offered. The formula basically takes into account the number of children aged 11 years and under using the site and the number of vehicles passing. A 1 hour survey of the site is carried out generally in the morning from 8.15 - 9.15am, during this time the traffic and children are counted in five minute blocks.
The vehicles are broken down into the following categories and weighted as shown.
| Vehicle | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Cars | 1.00 |
| Heavy Vehicles (larger than a car) | 2.00 |
| Motorbikes | 0.50 |
| Pushbikes | 0.33 |
The children are also counted in five minute blocks and they are weighted according to whether they are accompanied by an adult or not.
| Children | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Unaccompanied | 1.00 |
| Accompanied | 0.25 |
The busiest half an hour of the survey for both children and traffic is separated and weighted as above. The weighted traffic count is then squared and multiplied by the weighted children count.
An example of the complete calculation is shown:
| Vehicles | Actual Count | Weighting | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars | 250 | 1.00 | 250.00 |
| Heavy Vehicles | 50 | 2.00 | 100.00 |
| Motorbikes | 10 | 0.50 | 5.00 |
| Bikes | 2 | 0.33 | 0.66 |
| Totals |
|
|
355.66 |
The total vehicle count is then squared:
355.66 x 3.55.66 = 126,494.04
| Children | Actual | Weighting | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accompanied | 25 | 1.00 | 25.00 |
| Unaccompanied | 10 | 0.25 | 2.50 |
| Total Weighted Children | 35 |
|
27.50 |
The squared vehicle count is then multiplied by the weighted children count to give the final PV² result:
| Vehicles² | Weighted Children | PV² Result |
|---|---|---|
| 126,494.04 x |
27.50
|
= 3,478,585.98 |
In order to be eligible for a school crossing patrol the PV² result must be 3,000,000 or above. This is calculated using an Excel Spreadsheet. It is important to note that the RoSPA guidelines make no allowance for accompanied children and the eligibility criteria is 4,000,000.
If the site does not meet the criteria, several more assessments are completed in the morning and afternoon. Sites that do not meet the criteria are not provided with a Patrol and existing sites where the Patrol has resigned are withdrawn. If the site is being assessed because of a resignation there is a facility for the school to appeal against the decision. Information relating to the appeal procedure will be advised when assessments have been completed should the site not meet the criteria.
Page Last Updated: 28 May 2009
