Year 9 attended a Choices and Consequences workshop at the Ben Kinsella Trust in Barking.
Ben was just 16 years old when he was stabbed to death in a horrific act of senseless violence on 29th June 2008 in Islington.
The workshop was focused on educating our young people about the dangers of knife crime and exploring positive choices to stay safe. The exhibition content follows the journey of both the victim, including Ben’s own story and the offender through a series of discussions and question and answer activities. Our pupils contributed brilliantly to a myths and facts activity, demonstrating great recall around knife crime from previous learning in PSHE. Learning was developed further in the context of responding to knife crime injuries and the legal consequences and restrictions for those convicted of knife crime.
Pupils found the immersive experience of entering a prison cell and meeting a knife crime offender convicted under joint enterprise, particularly impactful. The actor delivered an emotive speech, describing how his prison sentence has affected his relationships, his wellbeing and his future. The content was designed to show how choices made and the consequences of those choices, are intrinsically linked.
Our pupils demonstrated fantastic maturity and critical thinking skills by asking excellent questions to deeper their understanding throughout the workshop. The experience was emotionally challenging and the behaviour and communication of our pupils was fantastic.