School crossing patrol services

School Crossing Patrols (SCPs) are trained adults who help people cross the road safely during the school day. They are often called lollipop men and women.

At first, SCPs were there to help children walk to and from school. Today, they are allowed by law to stop traffic to help anyone cross the road safely.

Benefits of having a School Crossing Patrol

SCPs help make journeys to school safer by:

• creating a calm and safe place for children to learn how to cross roads
• giving parents more confidence to let children walk, cycle, or use scooters to get to school

They also help the environment by:

• supporting schools to meet their duty to encourage greener travel
• reducing traffic by making it safer to walk instead of drive
• helping to improve air quality in the local area

Parent responsibilities

Parents and carers are still responsible for keeping their children safe, even when a School Crossing Patrol is on duty.

Driver responsibilities

Drivers must stop when a School Crossing Patrol is wearing full uniform and holding up a stop sign. It is also against the law to drive off while the patrol is still in the road.

If a driver puts the patrol or others in danger, the incident will be reported to West Yorkshire Police.

Local authority responsibility

Local authorities can appoint School Crossing Patrols, but they do not have to provide them.

We currently manage around 24 School Crossing Patrol sites across the district. These are provided through agreements with schools, and the schools pay for the service.