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Police and fire officers supported a school to tackle the subject of stranger danger with children.

Representatives from Essex Police and Essex County Fire & Rescue Service joined forces with teachers at Magna Carta Primary Academy to cover the vital topic.

Presentations were given to children in all year groups about strangers and how it is impossible to tell if a person is kind or unkind simply by talking to them.

Pupils were taught the technique of Run, Yell, Tell if they find themselves in an uncertain situation.

Headteacher Marios Solomonides said: “Run, Yell, Tell is easy for young children to understand. Knowledge is power and so we teach our children how to keep safe and to not be vulnerable. We do not want them to be afraid, we want them to know what to do.

“Having external people come in to talk to the children can sometimes have a bigger impact on them and we find they listen even more intently.”

During the visit, pupils also got an insight into the role of a police officer as part of the school’s focus on aspirations and careers.

Mr Solomonides said: “It was explained to pupils that the police are there to help as well as to catch the bad guys. It was great for our children to see the police and fire brigade doing something together as they naturally think about firefighters helping them, but don’t necessarily think of the police in the same way.”