| Sunday |
| 5 February 2012 |
 Independent Travel TrainingAll links to external sites will open in a new browser window.
Being able to travel alone is a very important skill to have. Once you have successfully learnt to travel alone it will be easier to make new friends and meet up with the ones you already have, find a job after you have finished at school or college and become more independent in other areas of your life. Once you have decided that you want to learn to travel alone, the first steps are to:
Before you get started, it is a good idea if you: · Have good money handling skills
The Surrey Student Transport Partnership (SSTP) is currently carrying out a pilot scheme which we hope to be able to offer countywide. As part of this scheme we are developing a number of resources that will help you along the way. The Independent Travel Guide
The ‘Independent Travel Guide’ was developed to give practical advice and tips to the students when they are travelling alone. The guide outlines everything from road safety to coping strategies if things go wrong.
The 'My Journey' Booklet The ‘My Journey’ section of this guide is a removable section that the students can take with them on their route. This booklet is designed to be filled in by the student and contains practical information about the journey such as recognising the correct bus etc. and who to contact if things go wrong. A number of these booklets can be obtained for different journeys.
The 'Helping Hand' Card
The ‘Helping Hand’ card is a credit card sized information card to be used on buses and trains. It has all the details of the type of ticket the student requires and where they are traveling too. This will be something that the student can use if they cannot remember all the information about the type of ticket they need. Information Booklet This booklet sets out exactly how the Independent Travel Training scheme is carried out, including information about the techniques used, resources available and details on how to apply.
The pilot scheme has developed the Independent Travel Training in two sections, Classroom Based Training and Practical One-To-One Training.
Classroom Based Training
Classroom based training will commence, ensuring the students are confident in handling money, and grasp the key safety issues of Independent Travel, e.g. the green cross code, and personal safety. Training will also be done on how to read timetables, how to plan a journey, what to do if things go wrong and how to identify a safe adult if help or directions are needed. Practical travel skills will be explored, doing role-plays to familiarise the students with how to buy a bus ticket, train ticket, how to use a pedestrian crossing or what to do if things go wrong. If you are a school or college and would like to apply for a training package please use our contact page to request one. Please include the schools address and name of contact person.
Practical One-To-One Training
The student will be introduced to their travel trainer and be given some time to get to know each other in a situation, which the student is comfortable with. They will not travel train on the first meeting, as it is important for the student to feel comfortable with their trainer before they train. It has been recognised that it can be a very daunting experience to not only meet someone new for the first time, but then be expected to take in lots of information and travel safely when they are not yet confident. Once the student feels ready, one-to–one travel training will commence. Accompanied Travel
The student together with their trainer will travel a set route (that has been assessed as the safest and most appropriate route) repeatedly. The travel trainer will complete a competency form for the student every time travel training is undertaken to track the student’s progress. A copy of this will be given to the student’s parents to ensure the parents are completely aware of their child’s progress. Once the travel trainer and the student feel that the student is confident in independent travel and the parents have been consulted for consent, the student will move on to the next stage, shadowed travel. Shadowed Travel
Shadowed travel is when the student travels alone with the trainer following them behind in case any problems arise which the student cannot resolve and to allow the student to gain confidence in travelling alone. Again the travel trainer will complete a competency form for every journey and once all parties involved feel that the student is completely competent, confident and safe at independent travel then the student can begin to travel alone. Independent Travel
For the first few journeys the student will continue to be shadowed however another travel trainer that the student does not know will be used so that the student believes that they are completely on their own. The undercover travel trainer will monitor the student over four journeys during their first twenty independent journeys to make sure that they continue to travel safely. Once it is agreed between the trainer and the parent that the student is fully competent in independent travel they will be awarded an Independent Travel certificate and have completed the training package. The student will continue to be monitored by an undercover travel trainer once a term.
Students will be responsible for the cost of travel during their training, however, there are a number of resources which can aid in this. If they receive EMA this can be used to fund the journeys, a free bus pass can be applied for from the borough/district councils (Senior Citizen and disabled bus pass), which also covers learning difficulties. Otherwise a student bus or train fare card can be obtained for £10 a year offering half price travel on buses or trains. http://www.sstp.org.uk/support.asp#sfc
Motability Motability are a charity that can help with the expense of learning to drive and finding a car. If you currently get the higher rate mobility allowance, then you may qualify for their help. The scheme is very simple. Motability can give you up to 40 driving lessons and can even provide you with a brand new car, all in exchange for your mobility allowance. For more details of Motability, click the link on the right hand side of the page to go to their website.
For more details about any of these resources, please email us on the contact page. |
