In PSHE throughout this summer term, we’ve been focusing on the topic ‘Keeping Safe’: ensuring children make safe and sensible decisions about what online content they should/shouldn’t share; cyberbullying; different types of abuse they might encounter; and exploring how drugs, alcohol and tobacco can negatively affect people’s lifestyles. In today’s lesson, children were encouraged to consider scenarios where people feel pressured in relation to drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Children were encouraged to use their scientific knowledge and religious understanding to cope with pressurising situations and make good choices.
We looked at three different scenarios and three children provided reasons for making one decision and another three children provided reasons for the opposite decision. We discussed the possible consequences and the potential impact of each decision. The person between the two groups had to decide which decision is the most sensible.
The scenario below is as follows:
“You have just turned 18 and need to get some milk from the corner shop for your Mum, who isn’t feeling well. You arrive on your bike but have forgotten your lock. There is a bunch of 14-year-old lads outside the shop. They notice your bike is unlocked and ask you to buy them some cigarettes ‘or else’. You are concerned that if you don’t do what they ask, they will steal your bike. What do you do?
Those who advised not to buy the cigarettes focused on the trouble they might get into and advised to remove themselves from the situation. Those who advised to buy the cigarettes, focused on ensuring the bike didn’t get stolen.
