Crucial Crew Teachers Pack
2015
Welcome
Welcome to this year’s Ipswich Crucial Crew! Thank you for your continued support and cooperation, without the schools that attend there wouldn’t be a Crucial Crew!
This pack is intended to give you all the information you require in order to ensure that you’re group has a fun; enjoyable and safe session during your visit.
Please take the time to read through and should you have any questions please feel free to contact IBC’s Lead Officer: Corinne Longland-Malam or the Programme Coordinator: Lauren Claydon. You will find their details in the useful contacts section.
What is Crucial Crew?
Crucial Crew is a national scheme that has been run by Ipswich Borough Council since 1994. It is delivered to 10 and 11 year olds from across Ipswich and runs for a fortnight in June every year.
The aim of Crucial Crew is to provide a fun and stimulating environment for children to learn to:
Ø Become more aware of personal safety;
Ø Learn how to react correctly to dangerous and threatening situations;
Ø Understand the role the emergency support services play and how and when to contact them;
Ø Be aware of their own actions and the safety of others.
Every child visits scenarios where they are taught valuable safety messages. The sessions tackle issues of personal safety such as:
Ø Waterside safety
Ø First Aid
Ø Road safety
Ø Electrical safety
Ø Fire safety
Ø Alcohol awareness
Ø Personal safety
Ø Internet safety
Ø Railway safety
Almost all of the schools in Ipswich attend and around 2,000 children will experience Crucial Crew each year.
You can visit Suffolk’s Crucial Crew Website at: www.suffolkcrucialcrew.uk where you can access information on all the scenarios delivered today and more!
What Can You Expect?
Crucial Crew comprises of nine sets which allow children to experience emergency and danger situations in a controlled environment. The children will spend just over 10 minutes in each set and will be presented with a number of problems that they are likely to face in everyday life.
The session is 2.5hrs in duration and is structured to the minute. As a result, it is essential that everyone participating follows the schedule and adheres to the guidelines given:
9:00am: On arrival someone will meet your group in the car park and will then organise the children into groups. It is essential that the children remain in these groups throughout the session.
9:30am: Once inside the children will need to line up behind their group number before they are given a briefing on what to expect. We ask that all adults remain with the children at this point.
9:45am: A bell will then ring which indicates the start of the scenarios – each group of children will commence at a different scenario. An adult must be with each group at all times. However, please do not follow the children to the Personal Safety set (after Fire Safety).
The bell will be rung after 10-12 minutes to indicate the end of the current session. The groups will then need to immediately move onto the next room. All children must keep moving from one set to another and must not stop to speak to children from other groups.
11:30am: Final bell will ring and all groups will need to go back to the hall where they will be given a final de-brief.
At the end of the session the children will be presented with a Crucial Crew Certificate and a water bottle detailing the Suffolk Crucial Crew website where they can go for further interactive activities.
N.B Please ensure that a member of your staff is posted at the Fire Pod throughout your session. This is a specific requirement of the Fire Service and relates to the Health and Safety of the children.
CHECKLIST
ü PRIOR TO ARRIVAL, please organise the children into groups of
It is essential that you adhere to these numbers.
ü PRIOR TO ARRIVAL, please ensure the children are clearly labelled with their names and group number.
ü Prompt arrival at this event is very important as the vent works to a very strict schedule. Late arrival may result in some scenarios being missed.
ü Please encourage the children to wear appropriate clothing and bring anoraks etc. as some of the scenarios will take place outside. Some scenarios are active and require children to lay, crawl and move around therefore we encourage attendees to wear trousers as part of uniform or dress down for the event.
ü You are politely reminded of the County Council policy that requires you provide a minimum number of adults for school trips. We have 9 scenarios, if it is not possible to provide enough adults please let the organisers know prior to the vent. If there are insufficient adults, some scenarios may not function.
ü Please ensure that any child using an asthma inhaler has the necessary medication with them and that they inform instructors should they experience any problems with any of the scenarios.
ü Children with special needs or medical conditions should be accompanied by an adult at all times and the IBC Lead notified of this on your arrival.
ü Please provide details of any child who could possibly have an adverse reaction to a scenario due to previous trauma related experience e.g. house-fire, road accident etc.
Please note that the media are being informed about Crucial Crew and may choose to turn up at some point during the project. There may also be a photographer representing Ipswich Borough Council present. These pictures may be used for publicity purposes in IBC’s magazines, leaflets or brochures as well as supplying them to other authorities for similar use. If there are any children among your group who should not be identified for any reason, or whose parents or guardians do not wish for them to be in any publicity photos, then please make sure you inform the IBC Lead on the day or in advance if possible. We will endeavour to inform our photographer of any restrictions but we ask that you also make the media aware as appropriate.
Useful Contacts
Senior Community Safety Officer (IBC Lead)Corinne Longland-Malam
Ipswich Borough Council
Grafton House
15-17 Russell Road
Ipswich
IP1 2DE
TEL: 01473 433 276 / IBC Assistant
Lauren Claydon
Ipswich Borough Council
Grafton House
15-17 Russell Road
Ipswich
IP1 2DE
TEL: 01473 433377
Ipswich Borough Council, Grafton House, 15-17 Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2DE.
T: 01473 433276 | E: | W: Ipswich.gov.uk