The government has released details of an anti-knife initiative to teach pupils about the dangers of carrying blades
School children in England are to be educated on the dangers of carrying knives, as part of a new initiative.
The Home Office has joined forces with the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Association to create new curricular materials on knife crime ahead of the summer holidays.
Earlier this wee, 20,000 PSHE teachers were sent new lesson plans including these materials to help them communicate the realities of knife crime to pupils.
Aimed at children aged between 11 and 16 years old, the hour-long lessons were developed based on feedback from teachers.
Lesson plans feature real-life case studies of young people from the latest #knifefree campaign, along with new content on the importance of having good role models.
Victoria Atkins, minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability said: “Early intervention is a key part of our Serious Violence Strategy and it’s vital that we give young people the tools and resilience to keep themselves safe over the summer holidays.
“I’m pleased that our current lessons on knife crime have proved successful and that we are able to strengthen them even further, and I’d like to thank every teacher who has taken the time to deliver them.”
The lessons aim to explore how role models can influence young people’s attitudes, decisions and behaviour in positive ways and signpost young people towards support services and the #knifefree website.
Jonathan Baggaley, PSHE Association chief executive, added: “We are pleased to build on the popular #knifefree PSHE teaching resources we produced with the Home Office last year.
“These new materials are designed to challenge inaccurate perceptions about knife crime, help young people develop the confidence to resist pressure to carry knives, and to recognise positive role models.
“We encourage all schools to download and deliver these free materials.”
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