Charity launches drug education for primary schools

The class will run for Year 6 pupils across seven schools

A charity said it was running the second year of drug education for primary school children to help them make "responsible choices".

Hope UK, based in Kettering, Northamptonshire, introduced the junior scheme last year.

It aims to help Year 6 pupils learn life skills to help the transition from primary to secondary school.

Mary Deller from the charity said it was "a really crucial time" in the children's lives.

Hope UK has been running for nearly 170 years, with courses run by volunteers.

The scheme was run for the first last year across five primary schools in Northamptonshire.

This year all original schools are returning along with two more.

'Open their eyes'

The programme covers topics including drug awareness, first aid and healthy eating.

Ms Deller, herself a volunteer, said the charity models the programme on a national scheme but made it "more local [to] build relationships with the community".

Local agencies including the police, fire service and the NHS help deliver the classes.

Ms Deller said that the agencies help "to navigate the journey to secondary school".

The programme will run across three days in July, with the schools attending in the morning or afternoon.

Mary Deller has worked at Hope UK for 15 years and helps run the classes

Ms Deller said Year 6 was an important point in education, ahead of secondary school.

She said pupils would be "involved in real life scenarios and test their ability to make responsible decisions".

She hopes it will "open their eyes to different things that become important as they grow up".