An educational programme to improve children’s understanding of risks, citizenship and the law is being rolled out to schools across Cumbria.
Pol-Ed is a suite of free educational resources created by subject matter experts to assist teachers of children, aged four to 18.
The programme has been live for two weeks with more than 100 schools already registered. To date, the resources have been used across 120 sessions reaching more than 3,700 students.
The resources are being used in Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons - covering topics such as consent, bullying, grooming and balancing freedom and the law.
The Pol-Ed programme has been used by several police forces since being developed by West Yorkshire Police in 2021.
The programme in Cumbria is funded by money seized from criminals and distributed to police forces via the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS).
DCI Andy Donnelly, who oversees the force’s Child Centred Policing Team, said: “The Pol-Ed programme provides schools across Cumbria access to free resources to assist with educating their pupils across a wide range of important topics.
“Our Child Centred Policing Team is working closely with schools and our neighbourhood policing teams to maximise the impact which these sessions can have with pupils.
“We are looking for more schools to join the programme over the coming weeks and ahead of the next academic year starting in September.
“Registering and use of the resources is completely free for schools in Cumbria.
“The resources are funded by the money that our officers recover from criminals via ARIS, which aims to give back to communities by providing activities which supports our aim of preventing crime and keeping people safe.”
Warwick Bridge Primary School, near Carlisle, is just one of the schools who have registered to the Pol-Ed programme. Their headteacher, Mark Ashton said: “The whole school will benefit from the Pol-Ed programme as it covers so many curriculum areas.
“The entire range of PSHE subjects are studied and there are a whole host of areas that are suitable for children of all ages. The resources are well-planned, well-organised and thoroughly researched to a very high standard. This is an extremely helpful classroom resource for all schools.”
Education establishments who have yet to sign up can do so by visiting Register Now | Pol-Ed - A positive force in education and selecting Cumbria Constabulary as their chosen force.