More than 600 Year 6 pupils from 17 primary schools across Watford and Three Rivers took part in this year’s Crucial Crew event – a multi-agency child safety initiative – held at Watford Football Club’s Vicarage Road Stadium from Tuesday 1st to Wednesday 9th July 2025.
Organised by Child Safety Media, Crucial Crew teaches children vital life skills often not covered in the school curriculum. Topics included personal safety, online safety, knife crime awareness, fire and home safety, safeguarding, wellbeing, responsible gaming, and first aid – including CPR, DRABC, and the recovery position.
Hosted in partnership with a range of agencies – including Hertfordshire Constabulary, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service, Watford FC’s Community Sports & Education Trust, the East of England Ambulance Service, and School Nursing Teams – the event gave pupils hands-on experience through a series of engaging, interactive workshops.
Dan Lowrie, Director at Child Safety Media, which has been organising ‘Crucial Crew’ events across the UK since 2013, described why the programme was so important.
“Year 6 pupils are at an important stage in their lives as they make the transition from primary to secondary school. Children start to become more independent at this age and are often expected to cope increasingly on their own, dealing with changes in their lives.
Crucial Crew is a multi-agency project that provides an interactive method of teaching 10- to 11-year-olds to become more aware of their personal safety, learn how to react to dangerous situations, practice safety skills within a controlled environment and gain knowledge that can be carried into the wider community and used in their everyday lives.”
The event culminated in a VIP Day on Wednesday 9th July, attended by prominent community leaders and emergency service representatives. Special guests included Luther Blissett OBE DL; Cllr Stephen King, Chair of Three Rivers District Council; Cllr Sarah Nelmes, Deputy Leader; Cllr Andrew Scarth; Mark Barber, Deputy Chief Fire Officer; Darren Cook, Assistant Chief Fire Officer; CI Andy Wiseman and Insp Ben Harper from Hertfordshire Constabulary; and Fiona Emslie, Team Lead for Public Health Nursing.
Pupils from Charlotte House Preparatory School (Rickmansworth) and Eastbury Farm Primary School (Northwood) were in attendance on the VIP Day.
Community Director at Watford FC’s Community Sports and Education Trust said:
“We have long-held positive relationships with local primary schools, and we are passionate about the education and safety of children, so we were pleased to have been involved in this Crucial Crew event.
All of the organisations and people involved, including many Trust staff, have added great value, led expertly by the Crucial Crew team, so thank you to them for coming to Vicarage Road and delivering such a worthwhile few days.”
Feedback from participating schools shows the success of the event:
“Thank you for such thoughtful and engaging sessions in an inspiring setting”
“Very relevant to the hard-hitting topics that our young people face in the real world. Also, the choice of venue helps to keep pupils engaged and focused”
The event was made possible by the generous support of Three Rivers District Council, the lead sponsor, and Watford Football Club, who provided the stadium venue free of charge.