Concern as Fife struggles to recruit school crossing patrols for busy roads

“There is clearly an issue and parents are deeply worried”, according to Councillor Aude Boubaker-Calder (Lib-Dem for Dunfermline Central). She called the crossing patrols “essential” and “vital” for making sure that children, especially of primary school age, are safe going to and from school.

Fife Council provides staffed crossings at 131 locations but 19 are currently unstaffed because of vacancies.

Cllr Boubaker-Calder said in her own ward that children are currently crossing Queensferry Road, a busy dual carriageway, to get to Pitreavie Primary School without a crossing guard. She called the situation “absolutely crazy.”

Tariq Ditta, head of Fife’s facilities management services presented a report to the environment, transportation and climate change scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday after Councillor Boubaker-Calder’s full council motion last September which asked councillors to “note the importance of school crossing patrol officers (lollipop people)” in ensuring pupil safety.

The motion also highlighted that the number of school crossing patrol guards in Fife reduced from 76 in the 2015/16 to 56 in 2022/23. There are currently only 64 dedicated school crossing patrol officers.

Mr Ditta said: “The service overwhelmingly prefers to have dedicated school crossing patrol officers (SPCO). However, in 48 cases it has been necessary to contract and utilise janitors to also provide a minimal service. In these dual posts, janitors will provide services only during known peak volume times as they have other necessary tasks within schools.”

He said the job has been extremely difficult to recruit for. It can only offer a very limited number of hours per week, and they must be worked in a split shift for both morning and afternoon service. As a result, the job is low paid - less than £300 per four weeks.

However, he stressed there has never been a managerial decision to stop recruiting - “the health and wellbeing of our pupils is absolutely paramount,” he said.

The report also highlighted that out of nearly 50,000 crossing patrol sessions in 2023, there were only ten near misses and accidents recorded.