Buenos Aires, Argentina: On the 5-6 February, iRAP’s Regional Director Julio Urzua partnered with representatives from FIA Region IV to train them in the use of the Star Rating for Schools App (SR4S).

Teams were trained in both the theory and the practical usage of the app in the field. To do so, two schools in Buenos Aires were assessed using a tablet with the SR4S app.  The assessment at the Granaderos de San Martín School identified three 2-star locations and one 1-star point while the assessment of the General Manuel Belgrano School found one 1-star, one 2-star and one 5-star location for children travelling to and from school.

With this training, FIA Region IV is ready to plan a broader programme to assess a larger number of schools not only in Argentina but also in other countries in Latin America.

Most recently, roads neighbouring 54 schools in Uruguay have been assessed, following on from pilots in Memphis and Ho Chi Minh City in 2017.

The SR4S tool will enable stakeholder groups and donors to apply the iRAP Pedestrian Star Rating in an easy to use and repeatable way. It provides an objective measure to assess the safety of school routes, guide investment, and benchmark and track safety performance over time.

With millions of schools worldwide, the low-cost app will enable leveraged resources and an evidence-based standard for safe school journeys that ultimately save lives.

SR4S combines an easy-to-use android tablet app and a web-based global reporting application for processing and sharing results. The applications work together to harness the power of the iRAP Star Ratings to measure the risk children are exposed to on their journey to and from school.

It is anticipated Star Rating for Schools will be released globally in mid-2019.

For further information, visit www.starratingforschools.org and sign up to receive newsletter updates.