A Royal Liberty schoolboy suffered a head injury and bruising to his body after he was in collision with a car in Romford on Friday.

Edson da Silva, 13, was taken by ambulance to Queen’s Hospital, Romford, after the collision with a silver Volkswagen Polo. He was given 22 stitches and is now recovering at home.

“He was trying to cross the road when he realised the car was too close to him,” said his mother, Eija, 39. “He tried to run back but then he fell.”

Mrs da Silva said Upper Brentwood Road, the road adjacent to the school where the collision took place, was a risky place for children to cross.

“That road to me is scary,” she said. “It’s terrifying. That’s why I always tell Edson to go to the traffic lights, but you know kids.”

There is a bus stop directly opposite the school gates – but the nearest pelican crossing is about 50 metres further up the road. Mrs da Silva said youngsters at the school often crossed before the traffic lights to save walking the extra distance.

Now she wants to work with the school to raise awareness of the importance of road safety.

“I’m going to speak to the headteacher and ask to have some sort of assembly with the kids. I’ll show them the pictures of Edson – I want to let them know that things can happen so quickly.

“They should put some bumps on that road. That road doesn’t look like there’s a school around.”

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service confirmed an ambulance crew and a single responder in a car were called to the school just after 3.10pm on Friday.

Ambulance staff were on the scene within seven minutes, where they treated the year 8 pupil, of Union Road, for his head injury and took him to hospital as a priority.

Police arrived at 3.13pm and closed the road. It was re-opened half an hour later.

The incident is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s traffic division.

Council leader Michael White said: “We are very sorry to hear that a child has been in a road accident outside of his school.

“Although accidents here are very rare we will visit the road and check all of the signage to make sure that drivers know they are going past a school. In addition, we will arrange to visit the school in September to give a talk to the pupils about road safety.

“There is a pelican crossing near to the school and pupils and parents should use this to cross the road safely.”