Pupils learn the facts of home abuse

PUPILS at The Grange School in Runcorn have been tackling hard-hitting topics such as domestic violence and bullying in a day devoted to learning to how to have a safe and happy life and protect themselves and others from abuse.

A spokesman for the secondary said the event was the first in Halton to host a team of experts from Essential Safeguarding, including trained social workers, legal experts, health professionals and therapists, who led the sessions.

Year 9 and 10 learners began the day with a gritty drama presentation called Black Eyes And Cottage Pie, a multi-media play produced by Manchester-based MaD Theatre Company and which focuses on life within a family struggling with domestic violence.

Each storyline involving a violent father, a daughter at risk of sexual exploitation and a son suffering from bullying because of his sexuality opened up a different topic of debate.

Afterwards, the students explored the subjects in more detail in a series of workshops.

For younger learners, the day was all about celebrating positive relationships and the chance to talk about what makes them happy.

The primary school children started their own healthy relationship scrap books full of their thoughts and pictures, which they will keep and add to throughout their educational journey at The Grange.

Janette Vincent, Grange headteacher, said: “This is a really important day for us.

“We believe it is vital that we raise awareness about these issues amongst our young people.

“We want to equip them with the knowledge and the skills they need to identify the signs of abuse.

“We also want them to know who they can approach to voice their concerns, seek help or raise the alarm.

“Figures for incidents of domestic violence in Halton are higher than national average, so it is a real key topic for everyone in our borough.

“We believe that learning how to stay safe is a vital part of our young people’s educational journey.”

Sharon Dixon, from the Essential Safeguarding team, said: “We want the children and young people to be able to spot the signs early and realise the consequences of their own and other people’s actions.

“We also want them to understand the law, particularly around issues such as text and cyber-bullying.

“Traditionally social workers and health professionals have become involved in cases right at the very end, often when the harm has been done.

“We want to change that to make sure that children have an awareness of these issues from an early age and know what to do.

“That way we can prevent abuse happening in the first place.”

Ellie Patten, Year 9, said: “It has been an amazing day.

“It’s made me think a lot about these issues and helped me to understand more about how they affect people and what can be done to stop it.”

Ellie Rigby, also Year 9, said: “I have really learned a lot.

“It’s very important that our school puts on events on for us like this one because it is teaching us more about real life situations and how to handle them.”

Ms Vincent added: “I am really proud of all our learners for the responsible attitudes they have shown to today’s sessions.