By Martin And Theo (Year 6)
On 31 January, year six went to the fire station on Old Kent Road. We collaborated with another school from Peckham (John Donne School) in six different workshops. Staff from the TfL, Metropolitan Police, Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service taught us how to be better London citizens. It was from nine until twelve in the morning. It was great fun and taught us a lot.
First we walked to the bus station where we got on the 21 bus and got off at Old Kent Road where we were greeted by one of the members of staff. When we got there, all of the children were given a card that showed different animals: monkeys, sharks, lions, rhinos, meerkats and crocodiles. Those cards showed which group you were in (there was a lion group, a monkey group etc). The groups had children from each school so we had to collaborate with the other school, helping us with one of our characteristics of learning.
One of the police workshops was knife crime. We learned how being in possession of a knife in a public place means you can be arrested and that anyone over the age of 10 could be arrested. We also learned that there are plenty of ways to resolve arguments without violence or something worse. You can tell a trusted adult or if you find yourself being attacked you can call the police.
There was also a fire safety workshop where we learned what to do if there is a fire. We were shown different scenarios and then taught how to be safe in each one. They gave us a lot of information to keep us safe like how long it takes for fire to spread across different surfaces and what to do in certain situations. They told us never to leave an open fire unaccompanied.
Another police workshop was knowing your area. There were two activities, signs and ways to get around. In the ‘getting around’ scenario, we learnt about dangers of getting around and ways to avoid those dangers. In the ‘signs’ workshop we learnt what all the different road signs meant. For example, the ‘no motor vehicles’ sign and the ‘one way’ sign. It helped me feel more confident about finding my way around London.
There was also a Transport for London workshop where we learnt how to be safe on the bus and the train. We had an activity where we role-played what to do in a dangerous situation on a bus or train. They also told us about what to do if you fall on the train track and how to react to it.
The last workshop was from the London Ambulance service. We learnt how to put someone in the recovery position, DRABC (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing and Call), and how to deal with an injured person.
At half past twelve we finally got back to school and reflected on what we had learnt. We then got back to a normal school day with lessons and lunch.