Your school might be tempted to cover this – for example through assemblies or taught lessons – but we strongly advise to wait until KS 3 & 4 lesson plans are published on the topic later this month. Please note that this campaign is aimed at pupils aged 11-16, and we urge against covering it in schools with younger children.
We are pleased to be working with the police National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) to produce these quality assured PSHE lesson plans and a film for use in the classroom to follow up the recent media campaign – and these materials will help you to approach this difficult topic sensitively and appropriately. This is a difficult topic to cover in schools, but PSHE can provide opportunity to do so responsibly as it’s important to inform your pupils of what to do in the unlikely event of such incidents, rather than shock them into thinking such attacks are likely or inevitable.
We also understand that your local police or PCSOs will be keen to reinforce the message with pupils but this sensitive issue should always be addressed in lesson time, by a teacher in a safe, age-appropriate, reassuring manner. Our teacher guidance and lesson plans will give you everything you need to deliver this learning safely in your school and will be published by NaCTSO via their website in mid to late October.