Accidents to children are a significant health issue, being a major cause of preventable death, serious injury and long-term disability across the UK.
Why do children have accidents? Often when children are absorbed in their own immediate interests they can be oblivious to their surroundings, unaware of the consequences of the many new situations that they encounter daily.
However by teaching children from as young an age as possible to be aware of the risks and to take sensible precautions while continuing to enjoy a range of challenging experiences, we can play a vital role in plugging a gap in the provision of safety and risk education for late primary aged children.
What are the Educational Resources?
Produced by RoSPA in association with key players in the education sector, and utilising the specialist knowledge of the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), the Educational Resources are a free digital teaching resource to help primary teachers to evaluate children’s risk awareness and promote children taking a well-informed, age appropriate, responsibility for their own safety.
Designed to fit within the existing PSHE structure, the kit will crucially help schools deliver the national curriculum as is, rather than create an additional burden. Provided digitally and incorporating lesson plans, learning objectives, suggested curriculum links and follow-up activities, the resources fill a vital gap in children’s safety education by emphasising the importance of recognising the power of their own role in the spotting of danger and avoidance of harm in the environments around them.
What is included in the resources?
- One lesson plan for each of four primary age ranges
- Activities that promote an accurate understanding of what constitutes a risk, and what can be done to maintain safety
- Lesson resources
- Cross-curricular links so that these lessons can be incorporated fully into the primary curriculum
- Suggestions about how ‘health and safety ambassadors’ from the community, can work with children to enhance their understanding both of potential future careers and of relevant current health and safety issues
- Guidance on how to create an environment which fosters a positive attitude to risk, risk assessment and taking age appropriate responsibility for safety.
What do teachers say?
In a study conducted by Centre for Industry Education Collaboration, the resource was sent to over thirty teachers who requested to take part in the pilot in June 2019. The teachers agreed that the resource was:
- User friendly
- Very appropriate
- Informational
- Gave support to teachers
- Easy to understand
- Increased children’s understanding of health and safety