1. The information states the programme will be rolled out to all schools
over the next two years. Is it incumbent on the individual LEA's etc
approaching you to get the programme into their school, or is it being
overseen by Government, Dept of Education etc?
The missdorothy.com learning programme was piloted in 2002 in Essex,
Durham and Liverpool and as a result of the pilot the Prime Minister
endorsed the work by attending the missdorothy.com play in his constituency
in Trimdon in December 02.
Following
this the Home Secretary and Education Secretary became aware of our
work and we worked with both secretaries of state to introduce a personal
safety soap opera for teenagers in memory of murdered teenager Milly
Dowler. Our work was launched by David Blunkett and Charles Clarke in
June 2003 at the House of Commons with Bob and Sally Dowler.
Unfortunately
the Dept of Education does not tell schools which materials to use.
All Head teachers are autonomous and so our materials have been recommended
on the teachers web site which is run by the DfES but it is up to us
to approach LEAs to increase awareness of the programme.
However we
are supported in our work by the National Children’s Bureau and the
Health Development Agency and we are providing a training programme
with the DfES for teachers around personal safety and risk management
and showing LEA leads on PSHE (personal social health education) how
to use our resources. The training programme will be rolled out across
the country over the next three years and begins in March.
The way it
has worked in other areas is that the police have worked in partnership
with education and the LEA has allowed us to present to all head teachers
at one of their conferences to introduce the materials and let them
know they are free and available – we have always had a 100% take up
rate.
Some of the
LEAs we have piloted with have now embedded missdorothy.com into the
curriculum for PSHE – one of them is Thurrock in Essex. A recent Ofsted
report at Thames-side Primary School in Thurrock one of the first schools
to pilot the missdorothy.com programme in 2002 gave great praise to
the school for its PSHE and commented:
“PSHE underpins
the whole curriculum and pervades all aspects of the school’s work.
Standards achieved are high…. the teaching and learning is very good
.. for example year six pupils showed a very mature understanding of
the effects of racism in our society and in year four they could discuss
the importance of feeling safe in different situations and older children
were able to articulate that everyone is unique and everyone is special.
They showed a good understanding of the cultural diversity of the schools
and the importance of everyone being included in all activities. The
school has been involved in the national development of the internet-based
Miss Dorothy programme of learning which aims to raise the self esteem
and self worth of children. This is a programme intended for Year 3
but the excellent resources provided have been used by staff in all
year groups where appropriate. Year 4 children who went through the
programme last year, were enthusiastic, engaged and very excited when
discussing “MissDorothy.com”.
2. As it stands I am keen to know which schools in which areas
already have the scheme?
We piloted
in three areas of the country first and then following the successful
pilot we received enquiries from a number of LEAs. The issue for many
of them was finding the money to introduce the programme. It was at
this point that the programme was discussed with Chief Superintendent
Anthony Wills, the then Borough Commander at Hammersmith and Fulham.
The programme is about early intervention and personal safety and is
perfect crime prevention material for crime and disorder partnerships.
With the support of the DfES and Health Development agency the CDRP
in Hammersmith and Fulham invested £20,000 to introduce the programme
for all key stage 2 primary school children. It has been very successful
and now with the support of the Met. Police Commissioner, other borough
commanders in London are investing in the programme. Anthony has now
retired and has been helping us spread the word to other chief constables
and senior officers around the country and it seemed the best way to
find funding for the LEAs and is an excellent vehicle for partnership
working. On the training programme we also include police officers and
health workers to meet teachers and learn about the resource.
The Home
Office and DfES are about to start a national evaluation of the programme
this year. The areas currently involved in beginning pilots and full
programme implementation include:
Hammersmith
& Fulham, Hackney, Camden, Islington, Kingston and Lambeth.
Thurrock, Durham, Sefton, Devon and Hertfordshire.
3. What role, if any, do the police have in the delivery of
the programme? Some areas obviously have school liaison officers, youth
& diversity officers, etc, is it envisaged they would play a part
or not?
We created
the missdorothy.com learning programme as a vehicle to bring teachers
and police officers together. The teachers deliver the personal safety
and emotional well-being lessons linked into the national curriculum
for PSHE and Citizenship. But in Hammersmith and Fulham for example,
the school liaison officers took the books to the schools and police
officers visit the classroom regularly to see how the children are getting
on with their Miss Dorothy books and work. When the subject of feeling
safe is introduced we suggest if you have the resources that a police
officer is invited into school to start that section of work off by
talking about road safety, junior citizen issues etc. The teacher then
moves this on in later lessons to discussing what it means to feel safe
and how you keep yourself safe. The programme can also includes a play,
which all the children go to see, and which reinforces all the Dot safety
messages. We suggest that a police officer comes on stage at the end
of the play and asks the children what they have learned. There are
also missdorothy.com certificates of achievement, which we suggest the
school hands out at a special assembly at the end of the programme –
this is also an opportunity for the police to be involved.
The reality
is that the police can be as involved as they like in the programme
depending on the relationship with schools and availability of staff.
But at the very least if schools officers are aware of the work they
can drop in and see how the children are progressing etc. They can also
join in the training if they have time and it is a good way to meet
teachers in an informal and friendly environment. The idea is that the
children also get to meet the police in a very positive way at an early
age and associate that meeting with feeling safe and having fun.
4.
We are keen to raise awareness of domestic violence amongst children.
Does the programme cater either specifically or generally to this theme?
The programme is a general personal safety package, but it is also very
carefully targeted to pick up children who are at risk from violence
at home or from child abuse. All the children do the same work, but
the teachers notes show a teacher how to pick up signs of distress or
abuse from the things children write or draw. The original research
for this pack was done with Northern Ireland Women’s Aid and the Protective
Behaviours Network. It has been tested with children in refuges as well
as in schools. Our Chief Executive is a child survivor of domestic violence
and abuse and when she saw the original research for this pack knew
that if she had been given the opportunity to do this work at school
30 years ago, someone would have known what was happening to her. We
have already had a number of children disclose information as a result
of doing the programme and some have been taken into protective custody.
However,
teachers are supported with notes and training on how to deal with disclosure
and it is rare. We suggest schools write to parents to include them
in the work and they are aware that the children are learning about
how to lead safer lives. The pack is designed to teach children that
they have a voice and to show them how to express their feelings and
to ask for help. The pack teaches children three fundamental principles:
1. We all
have the right to be safe all the time
2. There is nothing so awful or so small that we cannot tell someone
3. Others have the right to feel safe with us
We have found
from our research and close liaison with the DfES that schools do not
have time to tackle domestic violence as a separate issue and so materials
created for schools on this subject are rarely used. The missdorothy.com
programme is a general safety programme which fits the curriculum but
of course gives children the tools to protect themselves whatever the
situation and teaches them the emotional vocabulary so they are able
to ask for help. Teachers are very happy to tackle domestic violence
from this standpoint and it is an excellent opportunity to address the
problem as early as possible with primary school children.
5. What are the cost implications of introducing the scheme in a particular
area or school? Who is responsible for meeting these costs (i.e. the
school, LEA, wider partnership etc)?
The police crime and disorder funds have paid for the work books through
the Met police in London. In other areas costs have been met in other
local authority budgets i.e. social inclusion, children’s fund. The
main cost is in providing a book for each child as they are £1.95
each because they are full colour and very special. They have been designed
with help of children and teachers and the look and feel of the book
is a fundamental part of the programme. The books make the children
feel special and they are not like any other book that the children
use in class. The children keep the books when the work is complete
and are allowed to take them home if they wish.
If you allow
about £5 per child that will cover the cost of the teacher’s handbook
and ‘feelings cards’ and ‘even if’ game cards which are teaching aids,
as well as posters and a certificate of achievement for each child.
The play
is an optional extra and costs about £3.50 per child. It is performed
by young people from the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and
we bring the team to your area to a venue of your choice and perform
the play that reinforces all the safety messages. Some schools have
used the play at the beginning of the programme as they have found it
is a good introduction to the Miss Dorothy characters. At the moment
a Miss Dorothy theatre tour will take place in May and we would need
to know as soon as possible if you wish to be part of the tour. The
play was first performed at Liverpool Football Club, at the Labour Party
Headquarters for school children in the Prime Minister’s constituency
and at Thames-side Theatre for children in Essex. It is very versatile,
but the extra costs for you are providing the venue and transport to
get the children to the show – these need to be considered. But we have
found the play to be enormously beneficial for children. The idea is
that they go out for the morning or afternoon to a special place and
have a wonderful time meeting all these cartoon characters. They remember
the safety messages not because an adult told them to, but because they
relate to the messengers. They learn through fun rather than being forced
to listen.
6. Will the website allow me to run through the programme ?
You can use
www.missdorothy.com any time and it is free. There is added information
about the programme on the website. Schools like the web site because
children can use it in class and also with their parents at home. The
learning programme is unique because it combines classroom exercises
with a play and an interactive web site. You cannot do the programme
on the web site. The site is simply part of the programme and fits the
bill for teachers who have to include internet lessons in PSHE and citizenship.
On the site Dot has a daily diary where she writes about her feelings
at home and at school every day. She also has an adventure story which
is updated every week and can be downloaded by teachers and used in
circle time and lessons. She also has a daily news service for children
where four stories a day are written in a child-friendly way and Dot
comments on the stories and how they affect her life. It is designed
to show children that they have choices and they should be involved
in what happens in the world. There are also interactive games to encourage
children to enjoy the internet and develop their co-ordination skills
and mouse skills. The safety information teaches them how to use the
web safely and what to do if they feel threatened in any way.
