The pack is written to support young people with specific needs to access local public transport.

A range of key tasks has been identified to use public transport and a step-by-step list of skills to achieve each of them has been provided.

The pack can be used to support different types of basic skills courses and gain the appropriate accreditation.

There are 9 simple outline diagrams that depict the important steps that need to be taken to make a bus journey.

The diagrams are very flexible and could be used to prompt speaking or writing tasks or sequencing activities.

Students are encouraged to use the booklet to plan and carry out a journey in the local area by bus.

The pack is flexible and can be used to complement a scheme of work relating to Key Stage 4 Citizenship requirements.

The pack is divided into four sections covering the topics; Merseytravel as an organisation, social change, rights and responsibilities and sustainable development.

A booklet containing teachers' notes is provided that suggests how the pack may be used in the classroom.

North West authorities including Merseytravel, GMPTE and Halton Borough Council jointly submitteda bid to DFT for funding to produce an educational pack designed to reduce anti-social behaviour and public transport vandalism.

The aim of the resource is to provide the teacher with real life case studies from which many of the central themes citizenship can be drawn, for example fairness, rights and responsibilities. The main focus of the resource is the vandalism of our public transport system, primarily buses and bus shelters.

The materials have beendveloped under the guidance of the Citizenship Foundation, an independency charity that works to promote more effective citizenship through education about the law, democracy and society. It also advises schools on teaching citizenship, and how to communicate concepts, such as democracy, justice participation and justice.

Vandaliasm and Citizenship

Vandalism touches on many of the central themes of citizenship, such as legal and human rights, the role of central and local Government, the judicial system and conflict resolution. Vandalism of the transport infrastructure is a problem that affects all communities and, while most vandalism is carried out by children of school age, as major users of bus services, young people are far more likely to suffer from its effects.

The aim is therefore to look at vandalism in the wider context of the role of public transport services, the causes of vandalism and the impact that it has on both the economic property of a community and the quality of life of its individual citizens.

Benefits to schools

The resource is a clearly defined freestanding pack which can be used in any citizenship or tutorial programme. It deals with an important and topical issues which is directly related to pupils' lives and experiences. It is therefore very teachable with a range of activities and good cross-curricular links. The pack provides oppurtunities for extension projects which encourage the active participation of young people in matters which affect the wider community. The pack is used in PSHE and Citizenship lessons, at Key Satge 2 and Key Stage 3 levels. It comprises a VHS, a DVD and a CD-Rom containing teachers notes, students notes, lesson plans, and suggested activities.

Delivering the Message to Children and Young People.

The pack was launched at teacher training sessions, at each of the districts, when it was explained how to use the pack to the teachers who deliver the lessons in the classroom. Schools frequently request that we take the citizenship sessions, as messages have more impact on students when delivered outside agencies visiting the school.

Target Group

This pack has been written to meet the requirements of the Foundation Stage curriculum for children aged 3 to 5 years as from September 2001

The pack structure

The pack contains a scheme of work for teachers to amend and ad adapt.
The pack contains a topic web, lesson objectives and a booklist of relevant fiction and non-fiction texts relating to the theme of transportation.

The pack has 15 colour A4 photographs. On the reverse is a line diagram of the photograph; some key facts; key words and a talking point for the adult helper. In addition 30 different work cards for children to use in the classroom or at home with their parents.

The pack also contains a large 'poster map' showing the city centre of liverpool from an oblique view. This 'poster map' will show famous Liverpool landmarks and the services Merseytravel provides.

The pack content

The pack promotesthe notion that public transport allows people in the local community to get around and travel to different places.
The pack is divided into 3 sections and its focus will be on using public transport to make a journey in the local community.

Making a trip by bus

• The bus at the bus stop
• Buying a ticket
• Looking out the window
• Getting off at the bus station
• Problems on the road
  
  Making a trip by train
  
  
• The train station
• The train at the station
• Looking out the window
• Getting off in the city centre
• Travelling around the city centre
  
  Making a river crossing
  
  
• The ferry at the terminal
• The ferry crossing the river
• The view from the deck
• A visit to the aquarium

• Crossing the river underground
  
  Working with students that have Special Needs
  
  The design of the pack enables the teacher to take selected resources from the pack and incorporate them into a topic study based on the theme of transportation. Most of the photographs and graphics depict single objects and therefore have multiple usage.