Young people have taken to the stage to help their peers make the right choices.
Pupils at King Street Primary School in Spennymoor have been rehearsing ‘Choices’ since the beginning of the year.
The brainchild of Spennymoor PCSO, Sam Stephenson, the play follows the life of a seven-year-old boy called Alfie and how he initially falls into the wrong crowd and makes bad choices. Alfie ends up in prison but is offered the chance to live his life over and chooses to take the right path, leading him to further education and a career.
Around 30 children have been involved in the project, which aims to make young people think about anti-social behaviour at a young age so they can make better choices as they go into secondary school. The pupils made all their own props and costumes too thanks to a little funding from the Neighbourhood Policing Team and the generosity of parents.
PCSO Stephenson said: “It really has had an impact on all the children who have taken part and my aim is to target them at this age before they go up to secondary school; to get them to really think about their actions and take the lessons from it with them as they get older. It’s been really fun to work with the children and if it helps just one child who is maybe on the wrong path take a step back and think about the consequences of their actions then it will have done its job.”
The school’s Social Emotion and Mental Health Lead, Naomi Livesley, has been working closely with the children and their teacher Tanith Lloyd and teaching assistants Fiona Scott and Joshua Murdoch.
She said: “It’s been a really lovely project and has given them a chance to explore the ideas around anti-social behaviour and the impact it can have for them further down the line in a way that’s not just an adult telling them what’s right and wrong. It’s been great for their confidence too, especially to some of the quieter children who have absolutely flourished.”
And the children agreed. Trina, ten, plays one of the versions of Alfie and said the play was fun especially looking at the different choices Alfie makes.
Fellow pupil, ten-year-old Ava, who is narrator, added: “It was a bit tricky learning some of the lines but it really made us think about making the right choices so you don’t end up going to jail.”
And ten-year-old Katie, who plays Alfie’s mam, agreed saying taking part in the play had given her more confidence and made her think about the issues in the play.
The King Street pupils are the third school to perform the play in Spennymoor and it is hoped it will be rolled out to other schools across the force area.
Spennymoor's local community newspaper.
