PCC visits winning Junior Good Citizen school in Swindon

Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson has praised the work of the Junior Good Citizen scheme as a positive way to engage young people.

The PCC made the comments on a visit to Haydonleigh in Swindon after they won the prestigious Junior Good Citizen shield after coming top of the thirty-four schools which took part.

Junior Good Citizen has been running in Swindon for over thirty years and involves a number of agencies who all work with schools to educate children aged 10 and 11 to better safeguard themselves.

Topics covered in the sessions included personal and online safety, road safety, weapons awareness, substance misuse, railway safety and electrical safety.

Mr Wilkinson was joined at the school by Youth and Early Intervention officers Andrea-Jayne Hector and Shelley Gray, Neighbourhood Sgt Penny Sprawson and PCSO Lee Hare as they surprised pupils, who had no idea they'd won the award, at a specially convened assembly.

The PCC spoke to the Year 6 children about their achievement, while headteacher Frances Billinge challenged Year 5 pupils to retain the trophy when they take part in the scheme next year.

The PCC said:

"Early intervention is one of the key areas the public has asked me to focus on and it's a key part of my Police and Crime Plan.

"The Junior Good Citizen scheme engages young people with our officers in a setting where they're comfortable and instead of being talked at, they're part of the conversation.

"I felt a positive energy from speaking to the children and it set me up for the day!

 "The fact that we've consistently had over 30 schools participating every year for the past two years shows how engaged our school teachers and our schools are in what is clearly a very productive and positive scheme"

Published Friday 14 July 2023