Primary school resources

Education about rail safety at Key Stages 1 and 2 (Scotland P1 to P6) provides safety awareness to young people in their early years.

We have worked closely with teachers and students to develop resources that will help you to run fun, interactive activities that match different curriculum areas and deliver Ofsted requirements of PSHE teaching.

We encourage you to use the resources below to raise awareness of electrification on the railway, level crossings and railway safety.

Safety on the railway

This film highlights some of the key dangers around the railway and looks at what you can do to stay safe.

Electricity and the railway

The railway is full of hidden dangers, one of which is electricity. The third rail has 750 volts passing through it and OLE carries 25,000 volts of electricity, both of them are always turned on – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As more of the railway is being electrified we need to educate young people about the increased danger.

Assembly presentation

Presentation – Electricity and the railway

162 MB

PowerPoint slideshow with embedded videos, a quiz about electricity around the railway for Key Stages 1 and 2 and accompanying teacher's guide.

When you unzip the folder, please save the videos and presentations in the same folder.

Lesson plan activities

Issues covered include the dangers of electricity around the railway, the history of the railway and how the railway will be electrified. Activities include a quiz, a writing exercise and exploring what’s involved in decision making. Accompanying student worksheets are available below.

If you haven't held the assembly on electricity and the railway, we recommend using the assembly presentation (and supporting teacher's guide) to introduce the lesson.

Lesson plan activities – primary school

KS1 and 2 – Lesson plan activities – Electricity and the railway

3 MB

KS1 – Worksheet 1 – Electricity hotspots

511 KB

KS1 – Worksheet 2 – Spot the hazard

155 KB

KS1 – Worksheet 3 – Signs of danger

110 KB

KS1 – Worksheet 4 – Power jump

112 KB

KS2 – Worksheet 1 – Railway history

647 KB

KS2 – Worksheet 2 – Maths quiz

71 KB

KS2 – Worksheet 3 – Whose choice?

217 KB

KS1 and 2 – Worksheet set

1 MB

Level crossings

No crossing is the same, because the number of trains and local conditions are different. So, it’s really important young people understand how to use crossings safely.

PowerPoint slideshow with a video of our level crossings TV advert and an interactive quiz, for Key Stages 1 and 2.

We’ve also developed an accompanying guide to help make running the assembly as easy as possible.

Assembly presentation

Teacher’s guide to the assembly presentation

13 MB

Assembly presentation – Key Stages 1 and 2 (PowerPoint 97-2003)

13 MB

Assembly presentation – Key Stages 1 and 2 (PowerPoint 2007)

13 MB

Assembly presentation – Key Stages 1 and 2 (Apple Mac PowerPoint 97-2003)

13 MB

Lesson plan activities

These resources will help you run engaging classes across a number of curriculum areas and cover rail safety issues including level crossings, electrification, and trespass and vandalism.