FROM fire safety to smoking – around 1,600 primary school children will learn how to keep safe, say no to peer pressure and deal with a range of emergency situations.

The Crucial Crew project, organised annually by the Braintree District Community Safety Partnership, is available to all Year 6 pupils (aged 10 and 11) in the district’s 49 primary schools and aims, through workshops, to equip children with a range of easy-to-remember messages to help them stay safe as they prepare to transfer to secondary schools.

Cabinet member for communities Cllr Joanne Beavis, said: “This project is essential in helping students understand the range of complex issues facing them as they become young adults, allowing them to make informed choices and most importantly stay safe at home and in the community.”

Braintree District Council manages the project and works together with many agencies to deliver the project on behalf of the Partnership.

The agencies involved include colleagues from Mid Essex PCT, Essex Fire and Rescue, Essex County Council, Essex Police, and Braintree District Council Volunteers.

Each organisation runs workshops to tackle a range of issues such as fire safety, shoplifting, smoking, water safety, road safety, first aid, bullying and drugs and alcohol awareness.

Crucial Crew is predominantly funded by the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) with schools contributing 60p per pupil.