PRIMARY schools are being urged to sign up for NSPCC’s Speak Out, Stay Safe programme and receive as visit from the charity as soon as possible.

In 2018/19, the charity visited nearly 8,000 schools and delivered workshops to almost 1.8 million children.

The charity wants the 3,500 schools nationwide that are yet to receive the programme to get in touch with them.

In the average primary school class, at least two children have suffered abuse or neglect.

Mum Caroline’s seven year old son was sexually abused by a 13 year old friend of the family when staying at his dad’s house.

She said: “If it hadn’t been for the Speak out. Stay safe. assembly, I honestly think the abuse would still be happening. The Schools Service needs to keep happening so that children understand what is right and wrong.

“It gave my son the words to articulate what had happened to him and to be able to say it was not ok.”

The ‘Speak out. Stay safe.’ assemblies and workshops will also help to reinforce key lessons about abuse and neglect that will be compulsory for all primary schools in 2020, as part of the Relationships Education curriculum.

This will require all schools to ensure that children know how to report concerns or abuse and have the vocabulary and confidence to do this by the time they go to secondary school.

Karen Squillino, NSPCC’s head of schools service, said: “It can be difficult for teachers and parents to know how to tackle this sensitive but incredibly important subject.

“This new school term we encourage schools that have not received a visit to sign up, so we can empower as many children as possible to recognise and report any worries they have.”

For more information about the NSPCC’s Speak Out, Stay Safe programme or to get your school involved, visit nspcc.org.uk/speakout.