Crucial Crew helps record 1,100 students with vital life skills

16 Jul 2026

A record 1,100 primary school students have gained invaluable life skills to help keep them safe as part of a West Suffolk Council initiative.

Since it was launched in the mid-1990s, Crucial Crew has been helping young people prepare for the modern-day issues they may face. 

The three-week programme is coordinated by West Suffolk Council as part of its strategic priority for thriving communities and is delivered by a range of public sector and charity partners.

This year’s Crucial Crew, which ran from Monday 22 June through to Friday 10 July at West Suffolk College, saw more than 1,100 year six pupils attend from 33 West Suffolk schools. The highly popular event has broken its record from last year on the number of pupils attending the vital programme which featured 10 scenarios a day.

Students learned about fire prevention and what they should do if they are trapped in a bedroom fire through a simulation run by Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service. 

Abbeycroft Leisure, which runs the council’s leisure centres, taught the students about how to stay safe in and around water.

Restore Women’s Aid, a charity which helps victims of domestic abuse worked with the students to explore and understand respect and what it means for healthy relationships. 

The students also discussed understanding consent and boundaries with Brave Futures, a charity which offers specialist support for children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse. 

The Child Exploitation Hub work with the year six students to help their understanding of child exploitation, so they are better prepared to avoid becoming victims themselves.

The primary school students also took part in sessions with Suffolk Police exploring online safety and how to keep themselves safe from disclosing personal information when online, the damaging impact it can have on a child's life and how the students should speak to a trusted adult and report it.

In addition, pupils learned CPR with the East Anglian Air Ambulance; had advice on mental health and wellbeing from Elevated Education; oral health from public health representatives and Better Recycling from West Suffolk Council.

Cllr Donna Higgins, Cabinet Member for Families and Communities at West Suffolk Council has been at Crucial Crew a number of times over the years including attending as a West Suffolk teacher. 

She said: “Crucial Crew is vital in helping equip young people with the knowledge and skills to deal with situations they may face during their lives. It is about building life skills so they can make informed decisions to keep them safe. The sheer fact this has been another record year in the number of pupils attending and organisations supporting it shows just how important Crucial Crew is.

“As a teacher, I was always passionate about supporting and championing young people in our society. Now as a councillor it is something I cannot only continue but ensure West Suffolk Council invests in. It is always great to see students so engaged and asking questions. That, alongside the support of our partners, is what makes Crucial Crew the continuing success that it is, and I would like to thank everyone involved in this year’s event.”
 

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