Dingwall helps children speak out and stay safe with NSPCC

Children at a Northampton primary school were given an important lesson from Saints centre Fraser Dingwall on Wednesday.

The Northampton and England Under-20s star joined the NSPCC’s Schools Service to teach youngsters at Kislingbury Church of England Primary School how to recognise and report abuse.

Dingwall helped deliver two assemblies designed for different age groups to learn about consent, bullying and different forms of abuse and neglect in an age appropriate way.

The visit was part of the children’s charity’s ‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ scheme which is delivered to primary schools across the country and marked the start of a fundraising effort for the service in Northamptonshire.

Dingwall said: “I was thrilled to be able to take part in today's 'Speak Out Stay Safe' assemblies.

“This is a really important message to be delivering to children of all ages and the number of kids the NSPCC have already reached in Northamptonshire schools is amazing, so it was great to be involved.”

The scheme sees NSPCC staff and volunteers teach children as young as four how to spot abuse and educates them about the trusted adults they can talk to, as well as teaching young people the Childline number, 0800 1111.  

To celebrate turning 125, NSPCC Northamptonshire is looking for 125 individuals, groups and businesses to each raise £125, which could help pay for specially-trained NSPCC volunteers to deliver ‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ to a class of primary school children.

This would help the service reach more pupils with the vital messages and encourage them to speak to a trusted adult or Childline with any concerns they may have, big or small.

The older year five and six pupils also take part in follow-up workshops where subjects are covered in more depth and issues such as online safety are discussed.

In the last school year, ‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ reached more than 23,600 children at 92 schools across Northamptonshire.

Adele Hartley, NSPCC Schools Service Organiser for Northamptonshire, said: “It was really rewarding to see the pupils take in such an important message with the help of Fraser, which has reached thousands of primary school children across Northampton.

“’Speak Out Stay Safe’ really is about preventing abuse by giving children the tools to recognise it for what it is from an early age and importantly highlighting who they can talk to safely.

“It’s fantastic to have the support of Northampton Saints, and if anyone can help us reach another class of primary school children by raising £125, that could make a huge difference to a young person’s life.”

Children can contact Childline confidentially, 24 hours a day, on 0800 1111 or via www.childline.org.uk.

For more information on Speak Out Stay Safe and how to volunteer for the NSPCC Schools Service is available at www.nspcc.org.uk.

For more information about how to celebrate 125 years of the NSPCC in Northamptonshire email [email protected].