Children from 50 Wealden primary schools will be taking part in this year’s award-winning Safety in Action events including, for the first time, home-educated children.—Wealden District Council, 24 May 2017
“We are very pleased to welcome a party of 12 home-educated children who will be among the 1,300 children taking part in this year’s Safety in Action. The hands-on experience offered by our real life safety scenarios provide Year 6 children with lessons we hope they will never forget,” said Councillor Claire Dowling, Wealden Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Safety.
“It will help them to tackle situations they may come across now and in later life. Whether it is car stopping distances, the hazards caused by fire, water and machinery, or the dangers that may be posed by strangers, the lessons of Safety in Action are always worth remembering.”
Safety in Action encourages Year 6 children to make decisions about keeping safe in simulated scenarios, allowing them to experience risk and safely make mistakes along the way,
Now in its 26th year, Safety in Action has been adopted across East Sussex and is organised by East Sussex Fire & Rescue. Last year it provided hands-on safety training to over 6,000 children in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove.
David Kemp, Community Safety manager at East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said:
“It’s so great to see these children learn through their experiences with experts from a whole range of organisations helping them make the right decisions. It is a hugely successful approach and we know that children remember the experience when they grow up.”
In April, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service won a Gold Award for Safety in Action in the Fire & Rescue Project category at the public sector Improvements and Efficiency Awards in London.
The first week of Safety in Action will be held in the grounds of Bowles Outdoor Centre, near Crowborough, between 5 – 9 June. The second week will be at Herstmonceux Castle between 26 – 30 June. Both venues have generously allowed the use of their facilities free of charge.
The following agencies are taking part:
Sussex Police – Road safety and personal safety
South East Coast Ambulance – Helping a casualty
East Sussex Fire and Rescue- Dealing with a fire and making a 999 call
UK Power Networks & ESFRS- Electrical safety
Southern Railway – Safety near the railway
Freedom Leisure – Water safety
NHS school nurses – Alcohol safety
Wealden District Council – Safety on the farm and in the countryside
Each child will be presented with a workbook to take back to school to help reinforce the safety messages.
Uckfield Lions Club is sponsoring the main prize for the winning school, and Servomex in Crowborough is sponsoring the road safety award.
Funding for this event has been awarded by the Safer Wealden Partnership.
