CRUCIAL CREW

Norfolk Fire Service, assisted by South Norfolk District Council, is trying to organise the above event at Easton College in July 2003.

Crucial Crew is an interactive safety initiative aimed at 10 year olds (year 6). It comprises 10-12 theatre-style sets, which recreate situations of crime and danger in a controlled environment. The children proceed around the sets in groups of 4-6, spending approximately 10 minutes at each scenario. They experience and participate in a range of realistic situations, which are potentially life threatening in order to raise awareness of what they can do to increase their own, and others safety.

The facilities allow up to 60 children to attend each session in order that all pupils can be accommodated.

Some of the organisations that will be represented at the event will be the Fire Service, Police, St Johns Ambulance, Environmental Health and Coastguards. Those, and other organisations will staff the sets and guide the children to respond appropriately.

Prior to the event proceeding, a meeting will be held for accompanying teachers in order that they may gain a better understanding of the initiative and so that any queries can be answered. A comprehensive Teaching Pack is going to be developed and be provided prior to the visit. This will include a brief description and key teaching objectives of each scenario, possible subject links with the National Curriculum, and suggestions for follow-up work that can be undertaken in the future. A class visit to Crucial Crew is designed to be a stimulus to safety education and to put over key points that have been identified as being of major importance. We hope the ideas will serve as an exciting and valuable introduction for the children about safety and the material contained in the proposed teaching packs should help staff develop those lessons.

Crucial Crew already operates in many counties very successfully, including neighbouring Suffolk, and you may wish to contact colleagues there to confirm its value.

We would like to organise this in July, and would like you to confirm whether or not your school is interested in attending one of these sessions for a morning or afternoon and also if you feel that July is a suitable month. An alternative time may be held in the Autumn but it will be much harder to find a suitable venue at that time.

Yours faithfully

Doug Underwood