Lessons learned: Teachers’ perceptions of incorporating police expertise into PSHE lessons

This article presents the findings of an initial evaluation of an innovative contribution by West Yorkshire Police (WYP) to Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHE) teaching in schools within the region, namely the Police-Education (Pol-Ed) programme. Pol-Ed contributes police specific knowledge into the PSHE curriculum with the aim of keeping children safe from crime and victimisation. This article details the findings of a mixed-methods study using ten semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire (n = 94) with PSHE teachers in West Yorkshire to explore their perceptions of the Pol-Ed programme. Additionally, we explore this type of expert-informed teacher resource to contribute to the school PSHE curriculum in a meaningful way. The quantitative results suggest that teachers perceived that Pol-Ed helps them teach children how to keep safe, understand risks and the law, and to make positive choices. The qualitative findings suggest that teachers perceived that Pol-Ed increases pupils’ awareness of risk of crime and victimisation, is locally relevant, builds trust and strengthens community relations, and supports teacher confidence, knowledge, and awareness. We conclude by offering some reflections on the potential of this type of programme to add value to the school curriculum in a range of ways by sharing of expertise across organisations.