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Primary schools urged to sign up for NSPCC ‘Speak out. Stay safe.’ visit to keep children safe from harm
Primary schools across the country yet to receive an NSPCC ‘Speak out. Stay safe.’ assembly are being urged to sign-up for a visit.
Delivered at no cost to schools, the programme could prevent pupils suffering from abuse or neglect.
Since 2011* the children’s charity has been to almost 80% of UK primary schools, with specially trained NSPCC staff and volunteers delivering vital child protection messages in a fun and age appropriate way.
One in five children has suffered some form of abuse or neglect and the ‘Speak out. Stay safe.’ programme has been designed to encourage children to seek help if they feel at risk or in danger.
The service is front and centre of a new national ad campaign launching this week, with millions of TV viewers being given a taste of its potentially life changing work.
In 2017/18 alone the NSPCC’s School Service visited over 8,000 primary schools and spoke to around 1.8 million children in locations ranging from Cornwall to the Isle of Orkney in Scotland.
As well as assemblies and workshops, the charity also offers specialist resources, lesson plans and training to help embed the learning in the weeks after their visit.
Vera Jajechnyk, Head of School and Safeguarding Lead at St John’s Catholic School in Kent said: "Before the NSPCC came to our school they sent over a lot of information and were very organised. Everything was really clear and straightforward.
"The session gave children clear ideas of where they could go for help and advice in a straightforward way. They make it really child friendly."
The ‘Speak out. Stay safe.’ programme links directly to the curriculum, helping schools meet their statutory safeguarding requirements.
The assemblies are held for children aged 5-11, followed by a one-hour classroom workshop for years 5/6 (England and Wales) and P6/7 (Scotland and Northern Ireland).
Assemblies can be delivered bilingually in Wales, and an adapted version of the programme is available for children with special education needs.
Karen Squillino, who is Head of the NSPCC Schools Service, added: “We are proud of our ‘Speak out. Stay safe.’ programme and believe it can make a massive difference to the lives of the primary school children we see all across the UK.
“We are really keen to hear from the 20% of primary schools that have yet to receive a visit from our team and set up a date for us to come and speak to their pupils.”
For more information about the ‘Speak out. Stay safe.’ programme, and to request a visit go to: www.nspcc.org.uk/speakout