Police education resource reaches over 57,000 Suffolk children

A scheme that delivers lessons to children to develop a stronger understanding of risks, citizenship and the law has reached around 57,000 children in Suffolk in its first year.

Pol-Ed was originally developed by West Yorkshire police to help keep young people safe, working with subject matter experts in citizenship and PSHE to create resources.

Pol-Ed was launched in October 2024 for Suffolk schools and education providers, and over two thirds of settings in the county are now signed up with over 1,340 Pol-Ed lessons delivered by teaching staff within the first year of use.  These lessons have reached just over 39,000 students aged from 4 to 18 years, from pre-school to sixth-forms.

Additionally, 149 Pol-Ed geared assemblies have been delivered by teaching staff and 332 Pol-Ed Police inputs have been delivered directly by police officers and PCSOs in schools, reaching over 18,000 students.

The scheme helps improve teachers’ confidence to deliver a range of lessons as part of the PSHE curriculum, often involving more challenging and sensitive issues, by providing them with pre-planned lessons and resources created by subject matter education experts.

It also develops a better awareness and understanding amongst pupils around an array of topics under four areas: relationships, keeping safe, understanding the law and well-being. It also improves children’s understanding of the law and processes which police follow and helps keep children safe by improving their awareness of becoming a victim or suspect of crime.

Some of the practical examples delivered in Suffolk classrooms by police include delivering sessions on knife crime and joint enterprise as part of enrichment days in school, supporting children so they can gain a better understanding of how to keep safe online and understand the threats and visiting ‘early years’ children as part of their learning about ‘people who help us’ and the role of the police.

Inspector Justin Siggins said: “I’m incredibly proud of the achievements of our schools’ officers in successfully launching Pol-Ed across Suffolk. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, the first year of implementation has seen exceptional uptake—placing Suffolk among the top regions nationally for both subscriptions and lessons delivered.

“Pol-Ed has proven to be a highly effective platform, enabling police and educational institutions to deliver timely, relevant, and engaging learning experiences to a broad range of students.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: "It has always been a requirement of my Police and Crime Plan to increase the engagement of the Constabulary with young people especially in schools.   It is crucial that all our youngsters have the appropriate support at home and elsewhere as they grow up so they make the right choices in life and appreciate how to keep themselves safe including online.

"The Pol-Ed initiative has had some excellent results and a very high level of engagement which I am really pleased to learn about.

"This work, along with our grants and commissioning work from my office, undoubtedly helps keep our county as one of the safest in the country."

Links to photos from events here