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Thursday 30 Apr 2026

Film‑makers bring rail safety to the classroom

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National

• Big-screen special effects experts lend their cutting-edge skills to help teach school children about rail safety
• Each week, 77 children put themselves at risk of harm on Britain’s railway
• Schools are getting innovative new hard-hitting films ahead of rail safety becoming a compulsory part of the national curriculum later this year.

Production techniques more commonly seen on the big screen are being used to help school children understand the deadly risks of trespassing on Britain’s railways.

Network Rail is today launching a new suite of five educational films for use in schools - including one animated film for older Key Stage 2 pupils and four live‑action films for Key Stages 3 and 4.

The hard-hitting films use realistic scenarios and visual effects to show the consequences of contact with live electrical equipment on the railway, a danger that is often invisible or underestimated.

Roughly 4,000 of the rail trespass incidents which happen on Britain’s rail network each year involve children and young people under the age of 18. That is roughly 77 children putting themselves at risk of harm   every week and accounts for around 20 per cent of all trespass incidents nationally.

And the launch is even more relevant now, as Britain’s weather warms up – with data showing that the number of people straying onto the tracks tends to rise at this time of year.

Last year, more than half (57%) of all rail trespass incidents involving children happened between April and August, underlining the importance of teaching children about rail safety during their summer term lessons.

Designed to appeal to a generation accustomed to high‑production video and streaming services, the films use dramatic visual storytelling and special effects to show the real‑world consequences of misjudging risks around the railway. This includes the dangers posed by the electrified third rail and overhead power lines.

The films were developed with input from frontline medical professionals, including Nicole Lee, a burns nurse and Network Manager for London and the South-East at the NHS, working alongside film industry specialists with experience on Netflix productions and big-budget TV and film productions including The Game of Thrones and the Harry Potter film franchise.

Using controlled special effects, the films depict injuries based on real clinical cases Nicole has treated, ensuring the content is medically accurate, responsible and suitable for classroom use.

Available free to schools via the Switched On Rail Safety website, the classroom‑ready films are aimed at pupils aged nine to 16 and designed to support teachers as they teach children about rail safety, which will become a  compulsory topic in the PSHE curriculum from September 2026.

Louise McNally, trespass prevention lead at Network Rail,  said: “Britain has one of the safest railways in the world, but if you don’t stick to the rules, or if you stray out of bounds, you put yourself at risk of harm. This new series of films has been produced to ensure that young people get important life-saving rail safety information in an engaging and memorable way. The films show what the real consequences of coming into contact with the dangers around the railway are.

 “With trespass incidents peaking during the summer months, it is vital that our children understand the risks now, so they know how to keep themselves out of harms’ way.”

Teacher and social media influencer Henna Karim‑Sayer, who is Head of PSHE and RE at a Lincolnshire school, is supporting the film rollout as part of  classroom teaching. She has grown her online following by sharing insights from the classroom, with a combined audience of 168,000 Instagram and TikTok users.

She said: “Teachers are increasingly being asked to cover complex safety topics, often with limited time and resources. Having clear, age‑appropriate films that can be easily built into PSHE lessons really helps bring rail safety into the classroom in a practical way. It gives teachers a credible starting point and helps pupils understand the risks before they encounter them outside school.”

The films are supported by lesson‑ready materials, designed to help teachers introduce rail safety into PSHE and safeguarding lessons. Teachers and safeguarding leads are encouraged to visit switchedonrailsafety.co.uk to access these and other rail safety  films and classroom resources ahead of the curriculum change in September.

Summer is a critical time for rail safety incidents. Last week, the rail industry launched its first ever industry-wide level crossing safety campaign - No Second Chances. Aimed primarily at young adults, the campaign focuses on the deadly consequences of distraction at level crossings.