We felt impact of Sarah’s murder
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School student REBECCA BURTON tells us about a very important scheme started by sixth formers at the Green Road school
IN the wake of the tragic murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021, Sixth Form students Evie Selby and Alex Fryer began a Student Safety Group, which aimed to ensure that QEGS students feel safe both inside and outside of school.
Nearly a year on, this student-led initiative has raised the profile of issues around personal safety and sexual harassment within school and has had an impact on how they are addressed.
The group was formed as a reaction to the media attention on issues around sexual harassment and personal safety, which many students and staff members within the school felt passionately about.
It began as an informal meeting of Sixth Form students and staff to discuss ideas about how these issues can be addressed and has since been expanded throughout the school.
The importance of ensuring student safety has been formalised through the creation of the position of head of student safety and inclusion on the Sixth Form Student Council, and an equivalent position among the student leaders at the main school.
These students focus on implementing ideas to educate students about important social issues, including ways to keep themselves safe and to ensure others feel safe.
This has included assemblies, discussion meetings and a Sixth Form accessory day, in which students were able to wear a themed accessory along with their normal uniform to mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month and raise money for charity.
What began as an entirely studentled initiative has now expanded and has been very effective at raising awareness among students for issues surrounding personal safety.
A particularly key element of this programme is the “safe places” scheme, established by Evie Selby, wherein QEGS partners with local businesses to provide places for students to go if they ever feel vulnerable or threatened while in Ashbourne.
This scheme is designed to ensure that students always feel safe when they are out in the community, and are aware that there is somewhere for them to go if they end up in a situation in which they feel vulnerable.
Students can use the safe places as somewhere to wait until they can be collected or feel safe to leave, or as a way to get in contact with someone they trust.
Avanti Jewellers and Stepping Stones Shoes have both kindly agreed to take part in the scheme and act as safe places already.
This is a testament to the supportive nature of the Ashbourne community, and thanks to them the town can be made even safer for all QEGS students. There are hopes that the scheme can be expanded even further, and if any other local businesses would like to participate, they are welcome to get in contact with the school.
Over the last year, the Student Safety initiative has been successful in raising awareness of issues around personal safety and sexual harassment within QEGS and educating students about ways in which they can keep themselves and others safe within the community.
The fact that this initially studentled campaign has now become an integral part of student leadership within QEGS should be celebrated.