Talking about sensitive news stories and difficult issues with primary pupils can be challenging. Deputy head Helen Crowther explains the value of bringing current affairs into the classroom and how the staff deal with those tougher subjects to discuss

At 11am on December 15, 2015, all the juniors were in the hall eagerly awaiting Tim Peake’s International Space Station Launch. As the countdown started, they joined in and when the rocket took off the whole hall filled with spontaneous applause – a magical moment. We were all together sharing an experience; there was an enormous wave of enthusiasm and excitement that stayed with us for the rest of the day.

We have incorporated Tim Peake’s space travel into our learning. Year 2 are learning about robots and remote control devices, talking about what sort of things Tim would be using, while year 5 have Space itself as their topic.

There is something special about seeing history being made. Every morning we look at his feed on Twitter (@astro_timpeake), marvelling at his photographs and we visit a range of websites, including Newsround and First News.

We have seen a video of an astronaut playing ping-pong with a ball of water and marvelled at Tim’s images of the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. Photographs from space have generated lots of questions: “I wonder how he feels looking down on Earth?”

Good news stories are a wonderful stimulus, but the news is often about difficult subjects. These days there are stories about terrorist attacks, lone child refugees in camps and stories of cruelty.

At Kerr Mackie Primary School, we have a wonderful blend of cultures, faiths and background – this includes many Muslim families. The government insists that teachers be aware of the threat of radicalisation and we have received training to spot the signs.

However, on a day-to-day level, we deal with distress rather than politics. At first, after the Paris atrocities, we did wonder if there would be a backlash. Our pastoral team and parent support worker have close relationships with our families and provide support wherever possible, not just for pupils, but for our families. We were aware that perhaps there could be tensions in the local community. But there were no repercussions: our school community is warm, welcoming and inclusive.

Global values

This lack of discord was not just a matter of luck. It is because of the ethos in our school which emphasises respect, equality, responsibility. Despite a crowded curriculum we devote time to learning about and to reflecting upon Global Values (our school’s term for what the government title “British Values” – after all, are they values that solely apply to Britain?).

Last term, we looked at democracy and mutual respect which linked well to a project about how the Second World War changed our world. This half-term we are looking at the rule of law and who makes decisions.

Parallel to this, we are also working towards achieving the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA). We have completed step 1, Recognition of Commitment, and we are very excited about working towards Level 1. There are 42 rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and our pupils realise that these rights apply to all children: to them, to those escaping from Syria and to children who go hungry around the world.

We talk about why we have school rules and they know that even if they are being told off, it is because we care about them. We want them to be safe and happy and the children understand and value this.

Protection for staff and pupils

Sometimes a story comes up and you think, “how am I going to explain this?”. The war in Syria is complicated and when children ask questions it is useful to be able to turn to different informed sources. Websites like Newsround and First News can be a lifesaver because if any parents query how we may have tackled an issue or think the subject is inappropriate we can point out that children will come across the story in the media and it can only be a positive thing if they have talked about it in a reasonable and considered way at school through honest and open discussion.

There are several difficult areas we cover at school. In the 16 years I have been teaching, e-safety has become a bigger issue every year. There are materials aimed at different age groups provided by CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection). For example, years 5 and 6 watch a video about a girl messaging a boy on a social media site. She believes he is a 13-year-old boy when in fact he is a middle aged man.

It also shows him physically coming into her room and stealing photographs and chatting online with her, pretending that he is not a middle aged man but a boy of 13. It is hard-hitting and designed to shock, but is a very effective way of reinforcing the idea of privacy and guarding your personal information. We follow this up with the SMART rules.

We try to empower our pupils by making them aware of the dangers and giving them the knowledge to protect themselves online as well as celebrating everything the internet has to offer us and life-long learners.

Difficult issues close to home

This year we have had a key stage 2 assembly and year 6 workshop from the NSPCC to talk about ChildLine. The speaker talked about different types of abuse covering among other things appropriate and inappropriate touching.

Domestic violence is an increasingly worrying issue so we invited in Leeds Theatre in Education to perform The Boy under the Bed with years 4, 5 and 6. It is a play followed up with very carefully structured workshops, and our pastoral team was on hand to support any pupils who needed it. It made some pupils much more aware of how other children live. Drama is a great way for children to explore difficult issues and to think about what other people experience. Our children come from such different backgrounds; some are very protected while others have more troubled lives.

What fires them up

Injustice: that is what upsets our children. We recently twinned all of our toilets by raising money for the Tearfund charity. Our children are well-informed and generally, look to the media to find answers. They are aware that we are lucky to live in a free country where clean water and attending school is a given. They want to do their bit. Animals also stir feelings. Stories about cruelty to animals or the dwindling polar ice caps upset them. Children as young as our Reception class are raising awareness in school of the polar ice caps and the need to care for our world. In school, we have a poster made by one of our children saying “Don’t Waste Paper: It Will Hurt Nestling Birds”.

We can’t protect our pupils from bad news but we can try to keep them grounded and prevent them from feeling totally powerless. We want to empower our children and instil the belief that they can make a difference.

  • Helen Crowther (@MrsHRCrowther) is deputy head at Kerr Mackie Primary School in Leeds.

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