Potentially life-saving advice showing schoolchildren what to do if they are caught up in a terror attack is being made available to be taught in UK schools for the first time.
Young people aged 11 to 16 will be urged to run to safety, hide and tell police should they become involved in a gun or knife attack, in guidance said to go “way beyond the basic messaging” of previous campaigns.
An animated film, partly in the style of a comic strip, urges youths not to “waste time” taking pictures or videos of the scene, but instead to run away from danger.
The film, entitled Run, Hide, Tell – The Story Of Nur, Edih and Llet, and specially-designed lesson plans will be made available to schools and youth organisations from Tuesday 14 November.
It also advises young people on what to do should they see something suspicious, and an extra lesson teaching basic first aid is being made available.
The lessons are not compulsory, but schools are being urged to use them to ensure the younger generation is prepared in the “unlikely event” of a terror attack, Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Lucy D’Orsi said.
D’Orsi said: “Whilst we cannot make these lessons mandatory in schools, I would strongly urge education providers and youth organisations to consider delivering this life-saving information to the 11- to 16-year-olds in their care.
“We appreciate this can be a difficult subject to speak to young people about, but we’ve carefully designed everything to be age-appropriate and we know from our research that this is information that young people want to be equipped with.”
The video and teaching materials, designed by counter-terror police and the PSHE Association, are available to download via the National Police Chiefs’ Council website.