A primary school from Maidstone hosted a special week packed with activities for pupils and parents to drive home the importance of road safety.

The Road Safety Week at Park Way Primary School climaxed in an assembly that included a talk by Simon Dolby of KM Walk to School and an appearance from Walk to School mascot Buster Bug. Pupils from year 6 assisted with the assembly and were rewarded with free Frisbees from Babybel.

All of the school’s junior pupils will reinforce their road safety knowledge by taking tests based on the government’s junior Highway Code. In total 150 youngsters will complete the online multiple choice test modules which are devised by the KM’s charity department. The tests can be taken at bronze, silver and gold level and each pupil will receive a colour certificate that can be presented at assembly.

Mr Dolby, chief executive of KM Walk to School, said: “Park Way Primary School has done an excellent job of raising awareness to help pupils to be safer on the street. It was a privilege to be a part of the school’s Road Safety Week and I hope that other schools will follow Park Way’s lead.”

Sarah Shearsmith, community development team leader at Maidstone Borough Council, said that road safety is a priority for the council.

She said: “In 2011, more than 150 pedestrians and cyclists aged five to 11 were injured on Kent and Medway roads. We are hoping that by working with our partners to run the Road Safety Skill Tests we can contribute towards a big reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured on Kent’s roads.”

She added: “We also run ‘Safety in Action’ every year to help year 6 pupils make the transition from primary to secondary schools. That also includes road safety advice and help with other safety scenarios.”

Maidstone Borough Council is also allocating funding to allow a number of schools to take part in the KM Road Safety Skill Tests free of charge. Eleven schools have been invited to take part in the scheme including Park Way, Archbishop Courtenay, South Borough, Loose Junior, Loose Infant, Oaks Academy, Greenfields, Tree Tops, Holy Family Catholic, Molehill Copse, and Tiger Primary School.

Schools signing up for the KM Walk to School schemes Walk on Wednesday (WOW) or Active Bug receive KM Road Safety Skill Tests as part of the award-winning package. For more information visit www.kmwalktoschool.co.uk or contact Louise Rogerson on lrogerson@thekmgroup.co.uk or call 0844 264 0291.

The Road Safety Skill Tests project is supported by Kent County Council, Medway Council, Ashford Borough Council, Canterbury City Council, Maidstone Borough Council, Thanet District Council, Countrystyle Recycling, Mini Babybel, Specsavers, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, Eurostar, Chaucer Foundation, Southern Water, Orbit South, Jelf Insurance Brokers, Leeds Castle, Independent Music Productions, Whitefriars shopping area and Golding Homes.