Staying Safe Situations

Overview

This 30-minute lesson engages Year 2 students in understanding personal safety at home and school. Through role-play, discussion, and visual aids, students will learn to identify safe and unsafe situations, recognise trusted adults to ask for help, and practise how to communicate when they feel unsafe. The lesson aligns closely with the National Curriculum for England’s PSHE education framework, building foundational skills for personal wellbeing and relationships.

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National Curriculum Links

PSHE Education Programme of Study (Key Stage 1):

• Health and wellbeing:
  • Recognise what makes them feel safe or unsafe and how to ask for help.
  • Understand and respect the differences and diversity in people’s families and home environments.
• Relationships:
  • Identify trusted adults in their life and how to seek their support.

Early learning goals and objectives:

• Pupils should know:
  • Basic rules for keeping themselves safe inside and outside school.
  • Who to talk to if they feel unsafe or worried.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

1. Identify examples of safe and unsafe situations at home and school.
2. Name at least three trusted adults they can ask for help.
3. Demonstrate simple phrases to communicate when feeling unsafe.
4. Reflect on why personal safety matters and how to keep themselves safe.

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Resources

• Visual aids: flashcards depicting safe vs unsafe scenarios (images suitable for Year 2)
• Role-play props (e.g., toy phone, hats, simple costume pieces)
• “Trusted Adult” badge stickers
• Laminated emotion faces (happy, worried, scared)
• Whiteboard and markers

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes)

• Activity: “Safe or Not Safe?” Quick Discussion and Show of Hands
  • Show the class a series of simple images (e.g., a child crossing the road with an adult, a cupboard with cleaning products open, a child playing with a ball inside the classroom).
  • Ask: “Is this safe or not safe?”
  • Encourage pupils to raise their hand for safe or unsafe and give one reason.
• Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and introduce main topic clearly.

2. Main Activity – Role-Play Scenarios (15 minutes)

• Setup: Explain that the class will act out some situations to practise staying safe.

• Group Size: Pupils split into pairs or small groups of 2-3 for role-play.

• Scenarios: Prepare 4 simple, relatable scenarios covering safety at home and school:

  1. Finding medicine or cleaning products unattended at home.
  2. Feeling scared because someone at school is being unkind.
  3. Encountering a stranger at the school gate.
  4. Seeing a wet floor sign but deciding to walk carefully.

• Instructions for pupils:

  • One child acts as themselves; the other is a trusted adult (teacher, parent, school nurse).
  • Use simple phrases like “I feel scared” or “Can you help me please?”
  • Practise asking for help and receiving reassurance.

• Teacher role: Circulate, prompt with ideas, and praise effective communication. Use emotion faces to check how children feel during role-play.

3. Class Discussion (7 minutes)

• Gather pupils back together.
• Use visual aids to summarise:
  • What makes a situation unsafe?
  • Who are trusted adults they can ask? Display pictures of different adults (teachers, family members, police officers).
• Write or illustrate pupils’ ideas on the whiteboard.
• Emphasise the importance of telling someone if they feel unsafe or worried.

4. Reflective Closing (3 minutes)

• Hand out “Trusted Adult” badge stickers.
• Ask pupils to name one person they will tell if they ever feel unsafe.
• End with a short breathing exercise or calming technique to reinforce feeling safe and confident.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Formative: Observe pupils’ participation during role-play to assess understanding of safe/unsafe situations and ability to communicate concerns.
• Questioning: Ask pupils to name trusted adults and demonstrate simple safety phrases.
• Self-assessment: Children use emotion faces to reflect on their feelings during activities.
• Teacher notes: Document pupil progress and any needs for additional support in recognising unsafe scenarios.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters and clear visual cues for pupils with communication difficulties.
• Challenge: Encourage confident pupils to create their own safety scenario for the class to act out next time.
• ** SEND:** Use simple, clear language and repeat instructions as necessary. Buddy support can help with role-play.

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Extension Ideas

• Create a “Safety at Home and School” poster in the classroom with drawings from pupils.
• Use storytime to read a book about personal safety and discuss characters’ choices.
• Introduce a “Safety Journal” for pupils to draw or write about safe experiences at home and school throughout the unit.

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This lesson combines active learning, social-emotional development, and clear links to statutory PSHE objectives, making personal safety an accessible, memorable topic for Year 2 children.