Pupil safety: Practical advice on street sense

Occasionally, shocking news hits the headlines about the abduction — and sometimes worse — of young children. Fortunately, these occurrences are rare, but when they arise, they affect families and communities deeply, and highlight the need to reiterate ways in which we can all keep safe. Schools are perfect places to reinforce the personal safety messages that pupils receive at home. While it's essential to keep a balanced perspective on the risks that face young people — over-sensitivity to these can be counter-productive — we need to discuss reasonably what children should be aware of and how best they can protect themselves.

Sally Dowler of Milly's Fund, the charity set up to promote personal safety awareness, explains: 'I think it is vitally important for "personal safety" to be included in the PSHE curriculum. I feel that raising awareness of personal safety in schools enables young people to gauge risk and stay safe without making them frightened to develop their own independence.'

Personal safety for primary-aged children

Children of all ages can absorb personal safety messages providing they are appropriate to their age and maturity; it's never too early to raise safety awareness in a calm and realistic way.

The NSPCC advocates a practical approach to keeping children safe outside the home. While some may be particularly astute when it comes to their sense of safety, others will be less able to make accurate judgements on the risks they face; judgements about trusting others, road sense, and the how quickly time elapses, for example in traffic terms.

When teaching young children about their personal safety, these ideas may help:

Three golden words are: who, where and when. Children should know, and be able to explain, who they are going out with, where they are going, and when they will be returning.
Encourage young children to hold on to a parent's hand, or to a buggy or pushchair, when they are out and about, especially in busy areas.
If children are out with their parents, they should know where to meet them should they become separated.
All children should be given the message never to go off with someone, even someone they know, without asking the person who looks after them first.
Empower children by telling them about the people and services there to help them, for example, the police and other emergency services, and charity hotlines and websites.
Encourage children to identify safe places on their way to and from school, such as shops and homes of friends and relatives.
Children should always walk on pavements facing oncoming traffic.
If approached by someone in a car, children should turn in the opposite direction and get to a place of safety.
If asked for help, children should be encouraged to contact a trusted adult immediately, and never to agree to a stranger's requests.
Offer children the opportunity to talk at school about issues that worry them. Whether that's something as serious as bullying or simple concerns about growing up, it's important that young children are confident to express their concerns.

Personal safety for secondary-aged children

The developing independence that young people experience at this stage of their lives is critically important. This is a time when they can move towards becoming who they are within the usually safe boundaries of teenage life. They can find their feet and improve their skills providing fear of the outside world doesn't cripple their desire to take part in certain activities.

Most personal safety trainers will say that the first rule of keeping safe is to avoid potentially dangerous situations. Practically, this means not taking short cuts down dimly lit lanes, not accepting lifts from strangers and remembering to tell someone about your intended movements. This may all seem fairly obvious, but it's worth reinforcing.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which has become a leading authority on personal safety for people of all ages, suggests that young people should ask themselves the following questions before going anywhere:

Where am I going?
How am I going to get there?
How am I getting back?
Am I prepared in case my plans change?
Does someone know where I am?

The emphasis, says the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, should be on staying in control. This means that young people should be encouraged to be mindful about what they do when they are out and about, and should learn to listen to their instinctive feelings. In practice, this means making the right preparations, looking confident, avoiding risk and never assuming that 'it won't happen'. The trust offers the following advice:

always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return
don't keep all your valuables in one place; carry your key, phone and some money for the journey home in different pockets — and in pockets rather than a bag
watch out for pickpockets. Keep your valuables secure and out of sight
be alert when out and about and do not carry bags where you cannot see them, for example, on your back
trust your instincts — they are there to warn you of danger
people are not always what they seem, even people you think you know
it is not weak to walk away from trouble.

It is also worth reinforcing important messages about recreational drugs and alcohol use in the context of personal safety, both of which weaken a person's ability to remain in control and fully aware of the potential dangers around them.

When using public transport, young people could usefully consider these points:

sit adjacent to other passengers and avoid isolated carriages
sit on an aisle or near the driver where possible
be aware of the risk of pickpockets, and when on crowded buses and trains keep possessions close
move away from other passengers who make you feel uncomfortable
if using a taxi, text the registration number to a friend or parent
when walking, just walk - don't listen to music, speak on the phone or send text messages since these things are distracting and prevent awareness of potential dangers.

Keeping in touch with home is also important. Milly's Fund ran the successful 'Teach UR Mum 2 Txt' campaign aimed at encouraging young people to teach their parents how to text rather than phone as a way of keeping in touch. Texts are generally less obtrusive than phone calls and provide an easy way for parents and children to stay in touch if plans change.

Any child old enough to use a phone should know how to reverse charges if they are out without a working mobile phone. Dialling 100 in a public phone box means they can phone home without needing money. In emergency situations, dialling 999 is free.

Learning to trust instinctive feelings is important for everyone, but especially for young people who may be susceptible to the influence of others. There is a saying that 'fear is information'. If feelings of fear or even just unease arise, young people should feel confident about acting accordingly, and taking measures, even if subsequent events tell them that all was well. Instincts should not be overridden.

One key theme to all of this is that focusing on personal safety is never about inflating the true risks out there. Violent crime is rare, despite the prominent position it can occupy in the news. Rather, pupils' personal safety is about conveying the sensible precautions that young people can take so as to feel free enough, and safe enough, to enjoy all that life has to offer them.

Further information

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is a leading authority on personal safety. As well as providing resources and advice for children and young people, it carries advice on personal safety for teachers.
From October 2005, the work of Milly's Fund has been handled by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. The Milly's Fund website still remains and is packed with useful advice for young people, including information about Teach UR Mum 2 Txt and the Watch Over Me video and information sheets.
NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children)
Child Victims of Crime publishes a free leaflet called 'Tackle Safety' which can be ordered on: 01785 227325 or accessed via their website.
The Hideout is a website that carries extensive advice on domestic violence and safety in the home for children.

This article was commissioned by TeacherNet's editorial team, independently of DCSF policy teams.

Last updated: 02 December 2009