School pioneers scheme to prevent child sex abuse

A programme that aims to educate pupils about child sexual abuse is "helping to stop the silence" on the issue, according to children's charity the NSPCC.

Ernesettle Community School in Plymouth the first in the South West to adopt the Together For Childhood programme, which the charity said had also been rolled out to other community groups.

It has been running a pilot project in Ernesettle for five years involving regular conversations with pupils and their families about personal boundaries, and it said it now had links to 125 groups.

Shelley Shaw, development manager at the NSPCC, said the initiative was helping "normalise talking about healthy relationships".

The charity said the programme was an evidence-informed approach to bring families and local groups together to make the community safer for children.

It includes Plymouth City Council, the Plymouth Safeguarding Children's Partnership, police, health, community groups, fellow charities and the voluntary sector.

Other schools taking part are located in Grimsby and Stoke-on-Trent, said the NSPCC.

At Ernesettle, children have been introduced to a fictional character called Pantosaurus from an early age.

They learn how Pantosaurus says "no" to inappropriate touching and how he can tell a "safe" adult if he is concerned.

All teachers at the school are trained in how to spot the signs of abuse, said the charity.

Ms Shaw said the programme was "groundbreaking, nationally and internationally".

"What's been really great is that we've normalised talking about healthy relationships and... that's helped stop the silence on talking about child sex abuse.

"Now we've got our published evaluation and evidence we can start sharing that so that across the country we can prevent 500,000 children that get sexually abused every year from being harmed."

Paige Pink, assistant head teacher at Ernesettle Community School, said: "I think the most special part about Ernesettle is the positive relationships that we have with others in the community.

"That's when we see children and families really opening up and feeling empowered."

Jody, a parent at the school, welcomed the approach.

"It's just incredible, like teaching children how to stay safe, and how to keep their private parts to themselves, to speak up if they need to, to somebody who they feel safe with, and for people to come in and educate our children at school all about keeping safe."

The NSPCC's Together for Childhood programme is due to be rolled out to other schools in Plymouth.

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