From September, all schoolchildren in England will receive life-saving rail safety education as the subject becomes a mandatory part of the national curriculum.
Network Rail and Southeastern, working together as the integrated South Eastern Railway, have introduced virtual reality headsets as part of innovating rail safety lessons for children. The headsets show different railway scenarios involving trespassing, level crossing misuse from a first person perspective, giving a stark reminder of what the consequences can be and that that it is never worth the risk.
Across the railway network, rail safety teams visit schools to deliver tailored sessions that show children how to use the railway safely. The railway also runs regular sessions at the ‘Travel Safe Travel Smart’ centre in Margate, helping children understand how to stay safe around the railway.
Using real tracks in a safe, controlled setting, coupled with virtual reality headsets, the centre teaches children about the dangers of trespassing. These include the live rail, which carries up to 750V of electricity and can kill instantly, and the weight of trains, which average 400 tonnes and often cannot stop in time for someone on the tracks.
Nicola Dooris, community safety manager, said: “We bring children from year 5 upwards to Margate to teach them about the dangers of the railway when it is not used safely. The centre plays an important role in helping young people become safer travellers.
“Our approach is both proactive, teaching children how to use the railway safely, and reactive, visiting schools after trespass incidents to deliver hard-hitting lessons that help prevent repeat offences.”
Rail Safety is now included in the Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHE) curriculum in England and designed to help pupils stay healthy, safe, and prepared for life and work.
Nationally, the railway has relaunched its Switched On website, offering targeted content for three key stage groups. For ages 3–6, ‘Switched On Travels with Suzi’ uses animations, quizzes, and new resources to introduce basic railway safety as Suzi and her mum travel to a nature reserve.
For ages 7–11, materials help children build judgement, spot hazards, and recognise risky behaviour around railways. New content includes resources based on the ‘Arlo’s Adventures’ book series, poster activities, and card games focused on stations, tracks and level crossings.
For ages 12–16, new resources include videos with science creator Big Manny explaining railway dangers and the consequences of unsafe choices. The programme also encourages discussion on peer influence, decision-making, and social media trends involving rail settings.
Image credit: Network Rail
