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Good evening, I've been made aware of an incident at Worsthorne Primary School, where some children have set some wood alight in their forest school area/school playing fields. As you can imagine, this has been an upsetting incident for the school community, and the shared area for their children to enjoy. While we are paying passing attention, it's a reminder to our parents on the mailing list to check in with your children and see if they have any information or know anything about the incident. It's coming ever closer to the big school holidays and while I know both children and teachers alike will be ready for the chance to rest and reset ahead of the new school year, we simply cannot allow anti-social behaviour, damage or crime to occur while children are playing out or enjoying their free time away from school. Here are some tips for keeping your children safe over the summer holidays - Make sure your children are well aware of and pay good attention to road safety rules. Do they know good places to cross roads if they are not with an adult and to still make sure to check both ways before crossing, even if the light is green?Do they always wear a helmet when using their bike and scooter, and have adequate protection for their knees/elbows if they need it? Have you talked about and identified safe places to play? Public areas such as playgrounds, parks or skate parks make excellent spots to meet up with friends over the holidays. Abandoned buildings and near open bodies of water are both dangerous and could pose a risk to their lives and safety, and must be avoided.Does your child know your address and phone number? If your child needs to approach a safe adult and ask for help, do they know where they live and how to ask someone to get in touch with their parent if they need to?If your child has a mobile phone, is it charged up when they leave the house, does it contain helpful contact numbers for their responsible adults and do they know how to make an emergency call if they need to? Have you set up an app or Find my Friends to help locate them if you are unsure of their whereabouts?Be aware of and understand their own needs. Do they need to carry an inhaler, or an Epi-pen or other adrenaline injector if they have allergies? Do they know to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen in hot weather? Can they recognise if they or their friends have a problem that requires adult help? Are they with a friend or a group together who know to stay together and look out for one another? Do they know and understand the dangers and risks they may come across, and are you confident they would know what to do or how to ask for help if they needed to?Do they have a suitable curfew for their age, and are they able to tell the time and understand when it is time for them to come home? Have you set out boundaries of where they are allowed to play, and how far they are allowed to go without adult supervision?Have you had conversations with them about peer pressure, and acceptable behaviour? Do they know what to do if they find themselves in a situation where their friends or associates are acting in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable or begins to cross the line into unacceptable behaviour? As a parent, I know how quickly our children grow and how fast they want to exert their need for independence (!) but please remember that as with the incident in Worsthorne, and the incidents that have been reported to police in recent months regarding abandoned buildings, anti-social behaviour on our streets and in our town centre, it's really important we have these conversations with our children. As always, if there is anything you'd wish to discuss, please do get in touch with me. For life threatening or serious emergencies, please always call 999. For non-emergencies, but a crime still needs reporting, please call 101. Best, Em |
