Elm Grove Primary School, Worthing

The ‘Clever Never Goes’ programme has been developed to replace the out-dated ‘stranger danger’ approach. Research shows that teaching children simply to avoid strangers fails to keep them safe.  Strangers are often more likely to help a child than to harm them.  Conversely, it can often be people known to children that pose the greatest threat.

‘Clever Never Goes’ moves the focus away from strangers and instead teaches children to recognise when someone (whether they are known to the child or not) is trying to persuade them to go with them.  The programme is designed to be fun and positive, whilst at the same time delivering a serious message and giving children practical safety skills and confidence to engage with the outside world.

In addition to the schools lesson you too can help your child to understand the Clever Never Goes message.  You can download (free of charge) a Clever Never Goes home pack at the website www.clevernevergoes.org/parents.  The home pack contains some great ideas for how to approach this topic with your children as well as games and activities. On the website, you can also see a series of cartoon sketches which are a good way of reinforcing the Clever Never Goes message and checking that your child has understand the key Clever Never Goes message.  Please do make use of these resources.