A PIONEERING project to help students with learning difficulties travel with more independence has been hailed a success.

A group of 17 students, aged 16 to 19, from Catcote School, in Hartlepool, took part in the nine-week course, with help from Hartlepool Borough Council's road safety unit and transportation section, the Local Education Authority, Cleveland Police and bus company Stagecoach Hartlepool.

Georgie Drumm, teacher, said: "A lot of our students travel to school by bus after being picked up outside their homes, and the aim of the course was to encourage them to become a little bit more independent.

"We looked at a range of issues during the nine-week course, including road safety, the hazards that can occur during a journey and how to cope with them and personal safety.

"We also set the students a little test which involved planning and completing an outward and inward journey.

"The main aim was to prepare the students for life when they leave school and give them more confidence. They all did very well and received certificates to mark their achievement in completing the course."

As part of the course, the students received practical pedestrian training and Stagecoach Hartlepool sent a bus to the school to help students become more familiar with public transport.