Pupils can now recognise unhealthy relationships thanks to Glow

Children in Derby say they now know what to do if they ever found themselves experiencing domestic abuse, and it's all thanks to our incredible domestic abuse charity Glow.

In the last two years, Glow has delivered their specialist relationship education programme - Relationships without Fear - to over 1,500 pupils in Derby. The six-week programme educates children and young people about healthy and unhealthy friendships, relationships, safe and unsafe secrets, emotions and where to turn if they ever need support.

The aim is to prevent abuse before it can begin, meaning happier futures and happier homes for pupils. 

Students at Portway Junior School in Allestree have been taking part in Relationships without Fear since Glow launched the programme in Derbyshire two years ago. Both staff and pupils were full of praise for it, including Freya Lunn, of Year 6, who says she now knows what to do if she ever finds herself in an unhealthy relationship.

She explained: “I liked learning about abuse because I wanted to know how you’d get help if you were in that kind of situation. If I was in that situation when I was older I wouldn’t have known what to do before Glow.

“Now I know that if I’m ever in an unhealthy relationship, or even a friend is doing something, I can call Childline or Glow. I can also go to my teacher.

“It was good to have Glow come into school because it’s nice to see new faces and Glow are experts.”

(pictured: Year 6 pupil Freya Lunn)

Classmate Betsy Merrony agreed, adding: “Glow taught me that I should tell a trusted adult if there is ever an unsafe secret or something else that needs to be dealt with. They also told me about other organisations, such as Childline, which has been very helpful.

“It was really nice when Glow came in. You’re usually always with the same teacher so it was good to learn about something new.”

Schools taking part in Relationships without Fear are fully supported by Glow's specialist children’s team throughout the programme. They give feedback to school staff after each session, highlighting any potential concerns that need to be addressed by the school’s DSL (designated safeguard lead). This makes sure that any potential concerns can be monitored and addressed quickly.

Portway Junior School headteacher Emma Wilkinson said that signing up for the programme was a ‘no-brainer’.

She explained: “At Portway we believe that our job is not just to teach the children about maths and English, but also to help them develop and function well in life. We want them to know about positive, safe relationships and develop those skills to protect themselves.

“The children always feel at ease with Glow coming into school. The charity are experts in their sector, which has really helped to support the children with any underlying issues that they might not have even realised.

“Whenever Glow have discovered any previous incidents that children have been through, these have been picked up quickly and addressed by our DSL.

“The impact of the sessions on our children has been amazing. We now see them transferring their skills into other areas of their school life and they’re more prepared to talk about any problems or relationship issues.

“We would wholeheartedly recommend RWF to any school. It’s had such a tremendous impact on the children and provided them with that extra layer of support.”

Click here to find out more about Relationships without Fear.