Year 9 spend a day in the CELLS

On Monday, we welcomed the CELLS team to work with our Year 9 pupils all day. CELLS stands for -  Choices, Education, Learning and Lifelong Skills project. 

This crime prevention charity turns negative pasts into positive futures through teaching children and young people across the North West about the consequences of crime through sharing lived experiences. Workshops included learning about age and the law, Joint Enterprise, County Lines, the dangers of being involved in drug distribution, gangs and weapons, the reality of prison life, online grooming as an entry point, the impact on families. The workshops also included a visit to a mobile prison cell which came on site.

Lead Practitioner for Personal Development, Miss Smith said "Although we do not have crime figures in our area which match those of Liverpool and Manchester, rural young people can be more susceptible to being drawn in to crime gangs unexpectedly. The workshops aim to make young people more aware of gang strategies to do this, the kinds of crimes they could get involved in and the consequences of being involved. 

She continued, "The workshop team gave first hand accounts on the impact of actions from their 'previous lives' on their lives and those of others, including their nearest and dearest. They spoke about the realities of being imprisoned versus experiences witnessed through social media. 

"The pupils spoke positively regarding what they had learnt and the impact the sessions had had. Our staff came away from sessions full of praise for the session content and the way sessions were delivered."

The CELLS Team enjoyed their day with us and commented how polite, respectful and intelligent our young people are and would like to visit us again in the future to impact on the potential futures of more of our youngsters.