HC Deb 18 March 2004 vol 419 c474W
Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role his Department plays in warning children of the dangers of playing on or near railways. [161387]

Mr. Stephen Twigg

Education about safety is included in the curriculum through the framework of Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE). In PSHE lessons pupils are taught about rules for, and ways of, keeping safe, to recognise the risks that apply in different situations and then to decide how to behave responsibly. They should be taught to recognise and manage risk, to be aware when pressure from others threatens their personal safety and to develop assertiveness techniques when dealing with unhelpful pressure.

Although there is no specific requirement on schools to warn pupils about the dangers of playing on or near railways, teachers may well use such situations to illustrate risk more broadly.