20 June 2012
Transport operator Go-Ahead this week launched Go-Learn, its unique education programme aimed at helping children and young people improve their knowledge of public transport.
The new Go-Learn materials use the theme of public transport to deliver informative and engaging resources that help pupils (aged four to 14) develop skills and confidence for independent travel. The resources, mapped against the National Curriculum, can be used to support literacy and numeracy (for ages four to seven and seven to 11) and elements of Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) and citizenship (for ages 12-14). Go-Ahead is the only major UK transport operator to provide resources of this kind.
David Brown, Go-Ahead's Group Chief Executive said: "Our bus and rail services have a key role to play in the communities they serve and are an increasingly important mode of travel for the next generation. It's important for us to ensure we are equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to travel independently and with confidence on our buses and trains. Go-Learn is an ideal way of introducing young people to public transport and increasing their knowledge of the social, economic and environmental benefits of using buses and trains rather than cars."
Go-Learn complements the work already carried out by Go-Ahead's bus and rail companies, many of which work with local schools. The Plymouth Citybus ‘Dennis Dart’ programme for example, aims to promote road safety and encourage safe bus use through visits to the majority of primary schools in Plymouth. The campaign includes books for children under 11 and teaching tools and characters such as Willie Washem the bus washer and Percy Pick-up the recovery vehicle.
James Lumber, Assistant Headteacher at Hamworth Middle School in Poole where Go South Coast operates said: "Equipping young people with the skills they need to use public transport safely and responsibly should be on every school’s agenda. The Go-Learn materials give teachers a range of useful tools which will get young people thinking about how bus and trains work and will really capture their interest."
Go-Learn consists of fact sheets and worksheet topics which are free for teachers to download from Go-Ahead's website. The material covers:
- Different forms of public transport and their relevance in urban and rural settings
- Bus tickets (coins, change and working out fares)
- Environmental benefits of public transport
- Timekeeping and understanding timetables
- Safety when using public transport
- The causes, consequences and impacts of anti-social behaviour on public transport
- The importance of team work and communications in the workplace
Activities for pupils include whole-class and group discussions, individual written tasks and opportunities to carry out research. Word glossaries and suggestions for further study are also provided.
To view and download the material visit www.go-ahead.com/go-learn
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
The Go-Ahead Group
Samantha Hodder, Group Corporate Affairs Director 020 7821 3928
Follow us on:
Facebook (facebook.com/GoAheadGroupPLC)
Twitter (twitter.com/GoAheadGroup).
NOTES TO EDITORS
GO-AHEAD
Go-Ahead is a leading UK public transport operator, providing high quality services in the bus and rail sectors. Employing around 22,000 people across the country, over one billion passenger journeys are undertaken on our services each year. We are committed to operating our companies in a safe, socially and environmentally responsible way and are proud to have been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard and Gold standard in the Business in the Community Index. In addition to the travelling public, our customers include the Department for Transport, Transport for London (TfL) and local authorities.
BUS
Go-Ahead is one of the UK’s largest bus operators. With a fleet of around 3,900 buses, we carry, on average, around 1.7 million passengers every day. Our operations are focused on high density commuter markets. We have a strong presence in London, with around 20% market share, where we provide regulated services for TfL. We operate deregulated services in Oxford, East Anglia, the South East, Southern and North East England. We also have a yellow school bus joint venture in North America.
RAIL
Our rail division operates the Southern (including Gatwick Express), Southeastern and London Midland franchises through our 65% owned subsidiary Govia. It is the busiest rail operation in the UK, responsible for nearly 30% of all UK passenger rail journeys. In December 2009, Southeastern began operating the UK's first high speed domestic rail service between Kent and London, significantly reducing journey times.