An awareness campaign to teach children about the dangers of entering a construction site has been launched at Newport Primary School.

Housebuilders The Hill Group is rolling out the campaign to schools nationwide as part of Child Safety Week from June 3 to June 9, run by the Accident Prevention Trust.

The campaign is centred around an educational video featuring Hill's safety mascots Jack and Jill, who demonstrate to children the rules which must be observed around building sites.

Sherlyn Ramsey, interim headteacher at Newport Primary School, said: "It’s wonderful to see The Hill Group working towards safeguarding children in this way and informing them of the risks posed by construction site activity.

"The assembly was a great success, with the awareness video and campaign messages able to convey vital information in a fun and informative way to primary school children of all ages."

Saffron Walden Reporter: Charlotte Blair with mascots Jack and JillCharlotte Blair with mascots Jack and Jill (Image: The Hill Group)

Charlotte Blair from Hill visited Newport Primary School to launch the campaign, delivering an assembly on the importance of construction safety with help from Jack and Jill.

The campaign film, which is available to view at https://www.hill.co.uk/national-child-safety-campaign-for-construction-sites, was also screened to all children and teachers.

Newport Primary School is located near Hill's Hollymead Square development, which began construction in February.

Rebecca Littler, group sales and marketing director at the Hill Group, said: "A construction site may seem like a fun place to explore for young children, but the risks of entering can be extremely serious.

"As a responsible housebuilder committed to prioritising health and safety, we actively engage and inform local communities about the work that we do, and site safety is a particularly important message to share.

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"I’m very grateful to Newport Primary School for allowing myself, Jack, and Jill to present to the children, and we look forward to rolling out the campaign to more schools over the weeks ahead."

The initiative is supported by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITF).

Rhodri Williams, technical and sustainability director at HBF, said: "We are pleased to see child safety given a platform promoting awareness of best safety practices and protecting children."