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Every day, millions of children travel to and from school, often on foot, by scooter, or bike. But the roads outside our schools aren’t always designed with their safety in mind.
That’s where smarter signage comes in. And with the launch of Signis, our latest sign light, alongside the relaunch of the proven aGlow system, Acrospire is helping local authorities make school safety zones more visible, effective, and future-ready.
According to Brake, every day, nine young children are killed or injured on roads in Britain*. Children are among the most vulnerable road users. Their field of vision is narrower, their ability to judge speed and distance is limited, and they’re less visible to drivers, especially in poor lighting or bad weather.
With traffic volumes rising again post-pandemic, local authorities are under renewed pressure to deliver better safety outcomes, not just to protect pupils, but to support wider goals around Active Travel and climate-conscious commuting.
School safety zones are designated areas outside school entrances designed to reduce traffic speed, improve visibility, and make streets safer for children walking or cycling.
Across the UK, speed restrictions outside schools typically fall between 20mph and 30mph, with the exact limits set by each local authority to reflect local conditions. Over the past two decades, there has been a clear shift towards adopting 20mph limits around schools, particularly in built-up and residential areas. Department for Transport data** shows that around 35% of primary schools are now located within formal 20mph zones, while a further 42% sit on 30mph roads that have extra safety features such as flashing signs or traffic-calming measures.
There’s no single model for school safety zones. Some use permanent signs and painted road markings. Others operate under School Streets schemes, where traffic is restricted at set times of day, using signs that light up to alert drivers.
While schemes vary, the goals are consistent: reduce risk, encourage active travel, and help more families feel confident leaving the car at home.
Well-lit signage plays a crucial role in:
To be effective, signage needs to be robust, clear, and reliably illuminated.
Acrospire’s Signis is a newly developed sign light designed specifically for applications like school zones. Built with IP66 weather protection and IK10 impact resistance, it’s engineered for the rigours of roadside installation.
Key features include:
With Signis, you can upgrade older signage with a modern, low-energy, long-life solution, helping your school zones meet the visibility standards they deserve.
Explore Signis and other road safety lighting
The aGlow unit has already been installed in multiple school zones, including Corporation Road in Newport, near Maindee Primary School, helping to alert drivers with highly visible flashing beacons mounted to school warning signs.
The Newport installations also feature bilingual signage in English and Welsh, reflecting the needs of the community and complying with local language policy.
With a robust aluminium body, polycarbonate lenses, and long-life amber LEDs, the aGlow is built to last. It’s an ideal solution for schools and councils looking to improve safety without overcomplicating maintenance.
The aGlow is also fully SMART enabled meaning that it can be remotely updated, monitored and schedules set to align with individual school, local authority or county wide time frames.
From national guidance to real-world projects, there’s growing momentum behind School Streets and safer zones.
According to Active Travel England, school zones are a key focus when designing safer streets for families. Their official guidance, Designing Inclusive Active Travel Schemes, outlines how better signage, crossings, and lighting can help encourage walking and cycling — and make the journey to school safer and more accessible for all.
But even the best-designed scheme won’t deliver if the signage isn’t seen.
Whether you’re planning a School Street scheme, updating legacy signage, or responding to a safety audit, Acrospire can help.
Our Signis and aGlow products are designed for easy installation, consistent performance, and minimal maintenance, while delivering the visibility and presence your school zones need.
Ready to implement your school safety zones?
Let’s make safety visible.
REFERENCE
* https://www.brake.org.uk/how-we-help/raising-awareness/our-current-projects/news-and-blogs/every-day-nine-young-children-are-killed-or-injured-on-roads-in-britain-2025
**https://speedingfinecalculatoruk.com/school-speed-limits-uk-enforcement-penalties-safety-impact/
Our story
The idea for Acrospire was formed in 2012 when founder Tim envisioned a different kind of lighting manufacturer: one that would not only deliver outstanding customer experiences but also prioritise fair treatment for its employees.
We’ve come a long way
Motivated by the belief the industry wanted and needed better, Tim shared his plan to establish his own venture with Hatty, who simply couldn't let him do it alone.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Protecting local jobs and ensuring the best quality possible.
Working from a rented office by day and assembling lanterns in a garage at night, Tim and Hatty set to work.
11 Years later
Acrospire now inhabits a 14000² ft manufacturing facility in Basingstoke, Hampshire. We’re a proud partner of the Made in Britain scheme, ISO9001 certified and a member of all relevant lighting industry trade bodies.
Along with great relationships with our customers and a great team! We've attracted some of the most experienced members of the lighting industry, all by following one golden rule.
A simple ethos
That runs through all that we do. Customers who have made the switch to Acrospire have found working with us to be a breath of fresh air.
If you’re a professional in the lighting industry, you’re probably familiar with warranties that range from 3 to 10 years, with extensions available on special request or at additional cost. At Acrospire, where we’re proud to be different, we offer a market-leading simple 12-year warranty, as standard.
We focus on our customers not our competition. We manufacture our products in the UK: with the exception of our solar products, our supply chain is within a 60-mile radius of our factory in Basingstoke: to maintain greater control over quality. We al
Speed of response is crucial when it comes to resolving warranty issues. If we’ve made a mistake, we own it, get to the root cause, and fix it as quickly as possible. We believe in timely communication with our customers and making the resolution pro
Test and Test Again
We believe in independent testing and certification. Our new product development is in line with ISO 9001. Many of our products hold ENEC Certification. To meet the requirements of ENEC we also send random product samples for third party safety testi
Our product design is another key factor in our ability to offer a 12-year warranty. We value engineer rather than cost cut, never compromising on quality. We stick to our processes and engage with our supply chain to ensure that every product meets