Children as young as 10 witness serious violence on the streets but few raise the experience with their teachers as they don’t believe schools are ready or able to help. These findings come from a ground-breaking study of primary school children in Hackney and Islington conducted by Witness Confident. The charity welcomes the finding that these young children are predisposed to do the right thing. Almost all the 10 and 11 year old children interviewed say if they see a child being mugged they will help the victim, call the police or chase the villain. The report was covered by the Evening Standard.
Witness Confident is offering practical help to schools to reassure young children and parents that primary schools are a good place to discuss experiences of street violence and the role of witnesses in a safe and constructive way. “We are missing the boat if we wait till secondary school to discuss street violence and we distress and demonise children if we then portray them as villains or victims. The witness role chimes better with their experiences and with their wish to do good,” says Guy Dehn, the charity’s director.
The charity’s call for a fresh approach to address street violence in years 5 & 6 is backed up in this comment piece by Pat Boyer, teacher and lately head teacher.
