Fancy a job as school crossing patroller?

EDUCATION chiefs have moved to fill a number of vacant school crossing posts across Perth and Kinross.

Lollipop men and women have been missing from some routes for a significant length of time, raising concerns about road safety.

New figures revealed that the number of school crossing patrollers working across Scotland has plummeted since 2013.

Two-thirds of Scotland’s councils — among them Perth and Kinross — have also cut the amount they spend on lollipop men and women over the same period.

Some of the jobs have proved difficult to fill, with the combination of fairly low pay, Scottish weather and the lifestyle constraints that school-run hours impose all playing their part.

Around 10% of posts across Perth and Kinross are unfilled but the council has been taking steps to make the job more attractive, including giving consideration to job sharing.

A flurry of job adverts have now been placed in an effort to fill some of the most pressing vacancies, including those at St John’s RC Academy and Goodlyburn Primary School in Perth.

A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross Council said: “We continue in our efforts to fill school crossing patroller posts where required. “It is an ongoing process.” Lollipop men and women are in place at key locations outside schools and on key routes across the region.

The council says it regularly reviews their placement, taking into account comments from councillors and the public and incidents.

Anyone interested in taking on one of the posts, which range from between 7.5 to 15 hours per week, should visit the MyJobScotland website.