Turnbull High joins the Pillowcase Project

The aim was to help pupils develop the knowledge to help them stay safe in an emergency situation.

The project started with a quick introduction on the Red Cross and the valuable help they provide around the world.

Turnbull High School is one of a select number of schools taking part in the pilot project worldwide, from the USA and Mexico to Hong Kong and Vietnam.

The first task S2 had to complete was an exercise to determine ‘What is an Emergency?’.

They were shown a number of situations and had to decide if the situation constituted and emergency and justify why they thought so.

If they thought it was not an emergency they were asked to explain why they didn’t think so and suggest how it might become one.

This led to lots of positive activity and energy as pupils aired their opinions with their peers.

Having settled on what was and was not an emergency, pupils had to examine whether each emergency could happen in the UK or not.

Some pupils were a little surprised to hear earthquakes can occur in Scotland, but were relieved to hear that they are never strong enough to do any damage.

Pupils were also tasked with researching an emergency and producing a poster to inform the public about the impact of the emergency and how they could stay safe.

The standard of work was said to be “fantastic” , with posters informing people about emergencies ranging from floods to heat waves snf snow storms.

Later pupils prepared for an emergency (although happily it was only a role-playing exercise).

With a budget, they had to prepare an emergency grab-bag, conveniently made out of a pillowcase, to help them and their partner in the event the emergency lasted three days.

There was lots of discussion and debate as pupils analysed what they would and wouldn’t need and how they could maximise their budget to squeeze out every penny.

At the end of the day pupils left with a fantastic awareness of how they should prepare and respond in an emergency and were tasked with sharing their new found responsibility at home.