A PRIMARY school has teamed up with the North Essex Parking Partnership to make the school gates a safer place.

Stanway Fiveways Primary School is encouraging parents not to drop their children off at the school gates, but implementing a 3PR scheme earlier this month.

3PR, which represents the "Three Parking Rules of Care, Consideration and Caution", was originally created by the South Essex Parking Partnership.

The no-parking zone outside the school entrance is hoped to educate parents and pupils about considerate parking practices.

Parents are carers driving their children to school are also encouraged to take part in the park and stride initiative.

A designated parking zone by the Co-Op helps to keep the roads nearer to the school clearer and allows pupils to get some exercise by walking some of the way to school.

Pupils who enter the no-parking zone by by foot, bike or scooter are rewarded with a token which is added to a class box. The class with the most tokens at the end of the month is awarded the 3PR Parking Champions.

Robert Mitchell, chairman of North Essex Parking Partnership, said: “We’re really excited to launch the first 3PR scheme in North Essex. Winstree Road, directly outside Stanway Fiveways Primary School, can easily become congested and dangerous. I’m pleased that the school has become the first in North Essex to introduce this scheme, which works by rewarding children for walking or cycling to school.

“Parking near some schools is often an issue and we’re always looking for ways to improve it and keep children safe. The 3PR scheme has been hugely successful in South Essex so we are confident it will motivate families in North Essex to be considerate during the morning drop off, making the roads and walking routes around schools much safer.”

Mrs Dawn Walton Steed, deputy headteacher at Stanway Fiveways Primary School, said: “We are delighted to have launched the first 3PR project in North Essex. The 3PR patrol are very excited about giving out the tokens and spreading the core messages of Care, Consideration and Caution when parking.

"We are looking forward to seeing the positive impact this project will have on the local area."