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The Wales Schools Programme, also known as SchoolBeat Cymru, is set to continue in North Wales thanks to the combined efforts and funding of North Wales Police Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman and Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for North Wales, Andy Dunbobbin.
The Wales Police Schools Programme is a collaboration of Welsh Government and the North Wales, Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, and South Wales forces and includes the role of Schools Police Officer, a dedicated point of contact for every school in Wales. SPOs deliver a nationally reviewed bilingual curriculum of teacher-developed lessons for ages 5-16. They engage with all schools, including mainstream education, independent schools in Wales, schools supporting additional learning needs and alternative provision including pupil referral units and education other than at school.
In February of this year, it was announced that Welsh Government would no longer be able to fund the programme from the end of March. Since then, and up the end of the academic year, the programme has been funded temporarily by the Force and PCC while other options for the continuation of SchoolBeat were explored.
The news of the end of government funding and the uncertainty surrounding the programme was met with disappointment, given many schools across North Wales see the programme as a much-valued part of educational life. Therefore, in recent months, North Wales Police has engaged in extensive consultation with partner agencies, the public, schools, students and young people across North Wales, to understand what the programme means for them and to help shape the future of the programme.
This work has led to the news that the programme will now be funded on an ongoing basis by the North Wales Police and the office of the PCC and will continue in educational settings across North Wales targeted to the needs of communities and young people. Police officers delivering the programme will remain connected with the young people in a similar way as now, but with an even greater focus on the Force’s youth engagement strategy.
As the local programme in North Wales develops throughout the next academic year, the aim is to further tailor the course, taking into further account the views of young people and the education community.
Amanda Blakeman, Chief Constable of North Wales Police said: “The SchoolBeat programme not only provides young people with the opportunity to learn about civic responsibility and helping their community, it also provides a vital link between the school and my officers. I am therefore delighted that we have been able to continue this valuable service on a local level.
“School Police Officers deliver vital inputs around a variety of subjects, but they also provide an opportunity for young people to develop a positive relationship with the police, understanding our role in serving our communities.”
Andy Dunbobbin, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, commented: “I am delighted that our work with North Wales Police means that the Wales Schools Programme is able to continue in an adapted form and I look forward to seeing it develop in the months ahead.
“We all can understand the pressures on budgets and finances on government at every level that have led us to this point, but I am pleased that the Force and my office have been able to come up with a solution that means a School Beat Cymru-inspired programme can continue in schools. Our new and bespoke programme can therefore help to keep forging the deep links between the police and young people that will stand us all in good stead for the future, encouraging understanding, dialogue, and trust between different generations and parts of society.”