02 February 2010
Staying safe is child’s play
Primary school pupils across the city are being given a helping hand to stay safe, thanks to a pioneering project by Whitefriars Housing Group.
Children aged 7 to 11 (key stage two) in six Coventry schools are set to benefit from lessons in accident prevention and the importance of willpower as part of their citizenship curriculum. The aim of the scheme is to teach children how to play a positive role in their communities by increasing their understanding of how their behaviour affects others.
To support the work Whitefriars Housing Group has sponsored two learning books produced by the Children's Safety Education Foundation. The booklets cover such things as safety at home, electricity, water, beaches, bullying and drugs. Staff from the not-for-profit group have been heading back to the classroom to speak to the children, and at some of the schools give lessons weekly.
Year six pupil Alicia Lammaf, age 11, attends Charter Primary School in Canley and recently took part in the lessons. The children were encouraged to imagine what it would be like to move to a new country and become a victim of hate crime. Other activities included learning how to put on a bandage and put someone in the recovery position. She said: “I really enjoyed the Whitefriars visitors because they taught us how to help someone if they were injured.”
Pupil Brogan Roche, age 11, from the same school, added: “I can’t wait to complete my ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe, Keep Safe’ booklet. The information looks fun and really interesting.”
Sarah Thompson, a teacher at Charter Primary School, said: “Whitefriars has produced a booklet that really supports my Personal Health and Safety Education and citizenship teaching in school. The children like the activities and are excited about completing the packs.”
The intention of the scheme is to help pupils make their own decisions about to keep themselves and their neighbours safe. It follows the success of the Whitefriars Respect programme in Coventry’s secondary schools which has helped more than 700 pupils to be good citizens and to improve their safety by providing knowledge about what anti-social behaviour is and how to deal with it.
Terry Rollings, senior customer involvement officer at Whitefriars, said: “The success of the work in secondary schools has inspired us to consider how we can work with younger children.
“By sponsoring these books and also giving lessons in safety and behaviour we hope to do our bit to help make Coventry a fantastic place to live. Understanding that their behaviour impacts upon how others feel is a very important lesson for children and we are delighted to be playing our part in helping to teach them to make a positive difference in their communities.”
Other schools which are benefitting from the project include Moat House, Frederick Bird, Henley Green School and Community Centre, Willenhall Community Primary and Cheylesmore.
Statistics from the Child Accident Prevention Trust highlight that more than two million children are taken to hospital each year as a result of an accident. Half of those injuries take place in the home.
Ends
Notes to Editors
Whitefriars Housing Group Limited is a not-for-profit housing and regeneration organisation established in 2000 that owns and manages approximately 18,000 homes across Coventry.
Whitefriars Housing Group is part of West Mercia Housing Group (WMHG), which is the lead partner of Spectrum Development Partnership. WMHG consists of Whitefriars Housing Group, Harden Housing Association, Nexus Housing, Kemble Housing and Herefordshire Supported Housing for Young People Project. The new combined group, which is a development partner with the Homes and Communities Agency, manages around 23,500 homes across Coventry, the West Midlands, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Whitefriars has a key role, in partnership with others, across the West Midlands to develop new affordable homes and regenerate communities.
Since transfer, Whitefriars has spent £340 million to repair and improve its housing stock. The vast majority of its homes now meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard –ahead of schedule. It is currently embarking on a campaign, Services on the Up, aimed at improving the core services received by residents.
In addition to providing homes, Whitefriars works in partnership with communities and other agencies to provide training and employment opportunities and support services for local residents, with the aim of building sustainable communities.
Whitefriars Housing Group Limited is a charitable industrial and provident society.
For further information please contact Val Hunt or Nikki Cheung at The Bridge Group on
024 7656 0440 or v.hunt@bridge-group.co.uk