National education platform from emergency services launches

StayWise, a free learning platform aimed at pupils aged 3-11, has launched in the UK.

The nation’s emergency services have teamed up with a range of national safety charities to produce a new website packed full of their collective safety education resources.

StayWise (www.StayWise.co.uk) brings together the educational resources of the emergency services linked to the national curriculum. That means pupils can learn about fire safety as part of a maths lesson or write a set of escape plan instructions in an English lesson.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) leads on the partnership behind StayWise. Partners include the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, HM Coastguard, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the National Police Chiefs Council, Injury Minimisation Programme for Schools and the Royal Life Saving Society.

The site offers free lesson plans, videos, and activities to help educators teach young people about potentially lifesaving advice within core curriculum subjects.

With many parents home-schooling due to the pandemic, there are plenty of useful resources available to mums and dads. Teachers can also set work from the site as part of a remote learning plan for parents and carers to follow.

Roy Wilsher, Chair of NFCC said, “The fire and rescue service is committed to keeping our communities safe. StayWise is a fantastic new resource for everyone to use. It offers teachers, parents and the emergency services consistent and effective educational materials to help young people learn about a range of safety topics.

“This is even more critical at this time, when so many of us are isolated and need to make positive decisions in our day-to-day lives to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.”

Chris Bigland, NFCC’s Lead for Education, and StayWise Programme Director, said, “StayWise is committed to saving lives through education. By working together with our partners, we have produced a consistent learning resource that educators from across the community can use with confidence, whether they’re teachers, home-schooling parents, or emergency service staff and volunteers.

“We have released the site early to support home learning for 3 to 11 year olds, but we’ll be expanding the resources available for older age groups in the coming months.”

The StayWise website is easy to use – just select an age group, subject, or theme, and you will find a collection of resources to keep students engaged.