Pupils read up to certain points each week and are then led through a classroom session by one of our Health & Wellbeing Officers, discussing these hard hitting topics. The use of literature to facilitate child led PSHE discussion is a relatively new concept, however, has been extremely well received within the schools.
The children will then get to keep the book and workbooks they develop through their involvement, to refer back to when they are challenged in their daily lives.
Hear from Deputy Head at Revoe Learning Academy,
“Our year 6 children love the Unstoppable course. We have been running it for a few years now and every year the children are eager to read and love to delve into the messages of the book. Within the week, we are asked to read a certain number of pages from the book ‘Unstoppable’ by Dan Freedman. Then, one of the BFC team come to deliver a PSHE session based on the section we have read.
“All the booklets and teaching materials are provided by BFC and you don’t need to prepare for any of the sessions (apart from a hefty chunk of reading each week!) Rob is running the course this year and the children love him. They get a lot from his sessions because the book is very relatable to their own lives. It follows the story of Roxy and Kaine, who are twins growing up on a poor council estate. Their family have been victim to knife crime and poverty, creating lots of stress for the family. During their PSHE sessions, Rob covers these topics, providing the children with good ideas for support and guidance to navigate through their own lives (should they ever need it). “
Hear from Jen Macdonald (Year 6 Teacher at Mereside Primary)
“The book captivates them, they see the similarities with their own worlds and the scheme of work allows them to hide behind those characters to address their concerns and worries about their own lives and upbringing.”
“For teachers, it is an immensely important tool for us to identify the misconceptions and highlight (and tackle) the vulnerabilities of the children who would deem themselves ‘street wise’. The subtlety with which it deals with topics of knife crime, loss, domestic abuse and friendships opens up avenues for exploration in an open forum for the children is fantastic and relatable to children.”
Hear from Dan Freedman, Best selling author of Unstoppable
“I spend a lot of time working with schools and that leap to Secondary is such a huge one at a pivotal time in a young person’s life. How they adapt and develop at that point can have a huge impact on the rest of their lives and also on the wider community.”
“I wrote Unstoppable in the hope that, as well as being a compelling story, it might offer a platform for young people to talk about their feelings and their challenges so I’m absolutely delighted that the Blackpool FC Community Trust are taking the book and running with it in this way.”
“Every time I have met and worked with Ashley, Chris and Jen I have been blown away by their dedication and professionalism. That’s why I’m sure the Unstoppable project is going to be truly ground-breaking. It’s incredible what a community team like this are able to do for the area and its effect will be felt for years to come.”