Children in Milton Keynes primary schools to be taught about dangers of knife crime

A knife crime intervention programme has been launched throughout MK primary schools in a bid to steer children away from knife crime when they get older.

The programme is being delivered by local education charity Safety Centre, which runs the successful Hazard Alley at Kiln Farm. It is being funded by police and the MK Together partnership.

It aims to deliver "interactive, immersive, and informative" sessions directly into every primary school in Milton Keynes.

Maya Joseph-Hussain, Safety Centre CEO, said: “Early intervention is essential in tackling knife crime across our region.

"By working in partnership with Thames Valley Police and MK Council, we are ensuring young people are empowered with key information enabling them to make considered choices and have increased awareness of the impact of knife crime.

Referring to last week's fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old boy in Milton Keynes, Maya said: "The recent tragic incident is sadly a reminder of how essential our work is”.

The initial sessions are aimed at school students in Year 5, aged between nine and 10. Many have already taken place and the charity hopes to cover every primary school in MK.

Now it also actively contacting schools to offer the sessions to Year 6 students too.

The charity says it delivers safety messages in a sensitive and engaging way, ensuring that it is age appropriate and engaging. The children larn about choices and the consequences of carrying knives.

The scheme's vision is to see a society where all children, young people and adults have access to interactive, immersive, and memorable safety education and training, enabling safe and flourishing communities.

Established in 1992, the Safety Centre is the world’s first interactive, immersive, and memorable safety education charity, spearheading the need to provide safety education to children, young people, and adults across the region.

"We provide high quality interactive, immersive, and memorable safety education and training to children, young people and adults, teaching them how to stay safe, understand risks and avoid accidents using realistic learning experiences," said a spokesman.

The first knife intervention sessions have proved highly popular and there has been 100% engagement from the young pupils.

One teacher said: ‘The content was appropriate for the year group and was delivered in an excellent manner so that the children were not scared, but they felt comfortable to listen, answer and ask questions. A challenging topic that was well presented."

Another teacher said: "The delivery of the information was excellent, and the children really enjoyed the session. It was very interactive with the class and very considerate of the class needs."