Staying Safe with Sam
The dangers of laundry and cleaning products
While cleaning and laundry products make our lives much easier, if they get into the hands of unsuspecting young children, they can cause serious harm. For example, children can suffer caustic burns to their eyes and throat from powerful products. When exposed to poisons, they are more likely to suffer serious consequences as their bodies are less able to neutralise toxic chemicals.
That’s why the Child Accident Prevention Trust has developed Staying Safe with Sam, to help young children engage with learning and learn how to stay safe around cleaning and laundry products.
Downloadable Resources
Staying Safe with Sam in Manchester
Classroom resources
Home-link pack
Sessions with parents
Your feedback
We’d love to hear what you think of the Staying Safe with Sam resources and how well they help you teach safety in the classroom. Please complete this quick survey. One lucky teacher will win £150 for their school.
Proven effectiveness of Staying Safe with Sam
A pilot of Staying Safe with Sam has been independently evaluated. This evaluation found promising evidence for the effectiveness of the materials in terms of:
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Engaging children in learning
85% of teachers surveyed agreed that the pack supported vocabulary, while 92% agreed it supported comprehension. Teachers involved in the pilot reported:
“For a foundation stage resource, it picked up a lot of speaking and listening. We shared the story book and asked the questions in the teacher’s handbook. The discussions were amazing.”
“I used one of the follow-up activities in the handbook… I got some excellent ideas and some amazing writing from children who don’t usually initiate their own writing.”
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Enhancing children’s understanding of safety concepts
92% of teachers said the pack was effective in educating children about how to keep safe around laundry and cleaning products, with 70% describing it as very effective.
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Ease of use
92% of teachers said the education pack was effective in enabling them to deliver lessons with minimal planning, with 62% describing it as very effective.
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Engaging parents in their child’s learning
The mini story book in the home-link pack encouraged reading together at home, with 91% of parents surveyed reading it with their children.
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Enhancing parents’ ability to keep their children safe
53% of parents said they had learnt something new from the home-link pack about keeping their children safe around laundry and cleaning products.
With thanks to
Staying Safe with Sam has been made possible thanks to the generous support of:
- RSA Education Risk grant programme (distribution to Manchester schools)
- UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (developing the resources)
