The ‘What went down…’ roadshow aims to raise awareness of the dangers that roadside distractions such as music, phones and friends can bring, with a focus on how young people can identify and cope with peer influence and the associated pressures that may impact their safety.

Specifically aimed at students in Year 7, the production promotes safe, responsible and positive behaviour for young people as they become independent travellers to and from their new secondary schools.

Last week, the roadshow visited Withernsea High School as part of a continuing national tour. Overseeing the event was Nick Richmond, a teacher of PE with responsibility for enrichment and active travel, who said: “We were delighted to host the ‘What went down…’ roadshow for the third time in as many years. As always, the roadshow was really engaging and once again proved to be a fun and interactive way of getting an important message across to the students, with thought-provoking questions making them consider their own responses to the scenarios played out in front of them.”

The hour-long event featured a live drama performance where various scenarios were played out. This was followed by an interactive workshop where students were asked questions based on what they’d seen, with an opportunity for them to ask their own questions and enter into discussion about the show’s scenarios.

Among the staff accompanying students throughout the event was Laura Aldridge, the school’s lead for whole school literacy and reading, who added: “I thought the production was very good and well-pitched for the year group. Lots of students were willing and eager to contribute, which shows how engaging it was and how much it made them think about the messages being delivered. There were lots of hands up for the questions at the end and the impact the performance had made on them was clear to see.”

The roadshow was performed and delivered by The Riot Act – a Huddersfield-based theatre company who design bespoke interventions for young people, using creativity and key behavioural change techniques to deliver projects that are engaging, contemporary and relevant. They cover a variety of issues, specialising in promoting road safety and sustainable travel in ways that have a real emotional and educational impact.

Their projects, which reach approximately 200,000 young people each year, include interactive theatre experiences, assemblies, workshops and regional competitions. They also work with students to create films and podcasts that enable them to take personal ownership of the issues they face and explore what they can do to overcome them.

Commenting on the importance of their work, Ollie Robinson, project manager at The Riot Act, said: “With road incidents being the biggest killer of high school students in the UK, it is imperative to deliver educational workshops to Year 7 students as they transition into independent travellers. By using Theatre in Education, we can engage with all different types of learners and ensure that we see maximum behavioural change beside the road.”

Zoie Wiseman, head of year 7, added: “Opportunities such as these are invaluable for our students and contribute towards the wider-learning experiences they will enjoy through their time in high school. It was great to see so many students put themselves forward, asking sensible and mature questions that demonstrated a clear understanding of the performance and the risks of the road.”

The production returned to the area with the backing of Safer Roads Humber and the East Riding Road Safety Team who share a commitment to keeping people safe across the region.