7600+ children in Lancashire have benefitted from Pol Ed since launch
Friday, February 14, 2025
271 schools in Lancashire have registered to Pol Ed, an innovative education scheme to work with schools to proactively educate and protect young people, since Lancashire Police began to offer access to one month ago. In that time 221 inputs have been delivered to 7,640 children.
Pol-Ed provides officers and teachers with expertly planned lessons designed to develop a deep awareness of risks, citizenship, and the law. Materials available addresses a wide range of issues such as sexual violence and harassment; child on child abuse; crime prevention, personnel safety and the perception young people may have of the police.
The ultimate aim of the project is to keep every child in Lancashire safe and this will be achieved through the Police and schools working together. Thanks to funding from Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire Police have purchased access to the materials so that they can be provided free of charge to all schools so that every child in Lancashire can receive the information.
Commenting on the scheme, Mrs Page, Deputy Headteacher, Northfold Community Primary School said:
“Our school is a newcomer to Pol-Ed which has been introduced whole school in assemblies by our PC and PCSO, as well as in KS1 and KS2 PSHE lessons. The resources work well alongside our PSHE curriculum and can be easily adapted as they are age-appropriate.
The sessions which were led by the visiting police officers were engaging and memorable. The officers established a positive rapport with the children, so that our youngest pupils understand the role of trusted adults in our lives. Our junior pupils felt free to ask questions about important topics such as Upper KS2 'Keeping Safe- What is the issue with addiction?'
We look forward to developing our partnership with the local police through assemblies and exploring Pol-Ed resources for our upcoming PSHE sessions.”
Lancashire Assistant Chief Constable Karen Edwards said:
“It is important that we educate our children around some of the dangers and risks they could face growing up and this includes exploitation, bullying, sexting and anti-social behaviour.
"We want to do all that we can to prevent Lancashire’s children from becoming victims of crime or coming to harm. It is really important that our offer will be consistent and for every child in Lancashire, no matter where they are educated or where they live.
"We will ensure that we consider crime trends and issues at each location to ensure we tailor this program to the needs of each specific school and location”.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw said:
“I've funded this project to support the education of our young people on challenging and sensitive topics such child sexual exploitation, anti-social behaviour, and child criminal exploitation, alongside emerging issues, risks, and consequences of crime.
"Pol-Ed represents a significant step forward in our efforts to engage with young people and educate them about the law and their safety. By providing teachers with the tools they need, we hope to foster a generation that is well-informed and confident in making safe choices.
"As the public's voice in policing, I hope the scheme will further embed local officers in the communities they serve, leading to greater engagement, and increased trust in the police."
