Developed in close collaboration with schools in South East London and now delivered across England and Wales, Powerful Choices is Bigfoot’s knife crime prevention workshop for KS2 pupils in Years 5 and 6. Thoroughly researched and carefully crafted, it uses the power of drama and fictional storytelling to open up honest, age-appropriate conversations about knife crime, peer pressure, choices and the people who can help.
At the heart of the Powerful Choices assembly is Gabriel, an 11-year-old boy navigating the kind of decisions that many young people quietly wrestle with every day. Through the storytelling of Bigfoot’s skilled educators and an original script written by award-winning playwright Josephine Starte, pupils are drawn into Gabriel’s world and invited to think alongside him as the choices he faces become increasingly difficult. The assembly uses voiceovers, spoken word, character illustrations and drama to bring his story to life in a way that is compelling, age-appropriate and genuinely moving.
The follow-up workshop takes pupils deeper. Working together through drama activities, roleplay and structured discussion, they explore the power of choices and their consequences, consider how to have difficult conversations with trusted adults, and discover where to turn when things feel too big to handle alone. Gabriel’s story becomes a springboard for their own reflections, and the conversations it starts rarely end when the session does.
“The children left feeling empowered, informed and that they had been heard. The programme gives the children a voice that it is essential for adults to listen to. It is informative, sensitive and empowering.”— Year 6 teacher, St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Understand how to keep themselves and others safe
- Recognise and manage risk and difficult situations
- Understand the law around carrying knives and the consequences of doing so
- Explore the immediate and far-reaching consequences of knife crime on the victim, the perpetrator, their families and the wider community
- Develop strategies for managing peer pressure and making safer choices
- Build confidence in having difficult conversations with trusted adults
- Identify how and where to access support, including Childline, Fearless and the Ben Kinsella Trust
- Use drama skills including tableaux, roleplay, improvisation and devising to explore and communicate their understanding
NATIONAL CURRICULUM LINKS
- PSHE (KS2): Keeping safe and managing risk; understanding the law; recognising and responding to peer pressure; knowing how to access help and support
- English (Speaking and Listening): Participating in structured debate and discussion; developing vocabulary around choices, consequences and wellbeing; presenting viewpoints clearly
- Drama: Roleplay, still image and improvisation; using storytelling and character to explore theme and consequence
- Citizenship: Understanding the rule of law; exploring the impact of individual choices on the wider community; rights, responsibilities and respect
- SMSC: Moral development through engagement with real-world consequences; social development through collaborative discussion and group work; empathy and perspective-taking
FORMAT
Target Audience: Upper KS2
Assembly: 45 minutes (whole cohort)
Workshop: 60 minutes (One class per session, up to 35 pupils)
Additional Options: Follow-up Year 6 workshop; peer to peer devising sessions for targeted groups; twilight teacher workshop
HOW TO ENQUIRE & BOOK
For us to quote your school and offer availability, please fill out the form below and tell us how many classes you have in each year, what year groups you want us to work with, and any specific dates that will work for you. We will respond to you within 24 hours. We promise we will not ignore your enquiry. Important: If you have not had a response from us, you may need to check your folder of doom (Spam folder) as sometimes our emails may go into it!
