Traffic count for road safety outside school

ServiceProject-ready

With staff, count traffic and crossing behaviour at the school gate at drop-off times, then present findings to the school and, if appropriate, the local council.

Where the maths comes in

Data collection design, frequency tables, rates and fair comparisons between times or days.

Which CAS strand it fits

Service: Unpaid, voluntary work with others that also has a learning benefit for you.

Your CAS coordinator decides how an experience counts at your school. Strand summaries are provisional (our words, being checked).

How to run it

Agree the need and supervision with a member of staff.
Design a recording sheet and a counting plan.
Collect data on several days.
Present the findings and a suggestion to the people who can act.

This can grow into a CAS project if your CAS coordinator agrees: see planning a maths CAS project.

How to evidence it

Recording sheets and plan
Analysis and presentation
Response from the school or council

Date everything and keep it in your school's CAS portfolio as you go. More on what counts as evidence.

Reflection prompts

Questions to think about, not answers to copy. Write your reflections in your own words, in whatever form your school accepts.

Why did you choose those times and days?
What did you do about counts you were unsure of?
What happened after you presented, and how did that feel?

Learning outcomes this often gives a chance to show

Global significance. How does the local need you worked on connect to a wider issue? What did you learn about that issue that you did not know before?
Initiative and planning. What did you plan, and what did you have to change once you started? Who did you need to ask for permission or help, and how did you go about it?
Collaboration. What did someone else bring that you could not have done alone? Describe a disagreement or a mix-up in the team. How was it resolved?

Whether you meet an outcome depends on what you actually do and reflect on, not on the idea. Outcome labels are our short summaries, being checked.

Safety and ethics

Stay on school property or a safe spot agreed with staff, wearing high-visibility clothing if advised.
Do not photograph number plates or people.

Agree every plan with your CAS coordinator first. Safety and ethics for maths CAS.

Need the statistics? The statistics guide (written for the IA) explains tests and charts step by step. Keep CAS and your IA separate.