What our Schoolbeat Officers do

Our Schoolbeat officers each cover a specific policing area within Gloucestershire. The areas covered are Cheltenham, Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Forest of Dean, Stroud and the Cotswolds, with a Schoolbeat Officer based at a station in each of the areas. Each Schoolbeat Officer regularly visits and works with an average of fifty primary schools and five senior schools including independent, alternative provision and special schools.

Throughout the year, they deliver various Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) approved lessons to school years 6 to 9 and cover age specific crime and vulnerability related topics. The time spent with students provides a key opportunity for the officers to begin building trust between the students and the police.

In addition, the officers and school staff will work as a team to share information. They will also provide intervention and prevention measures where needed as early as possible.

The role requires continuous development and training due to constant change both within the police internally and externally with the school PSHE curriculum.

Over time, the programme aims to help reduce student school exclusions as well as the number of young people entering the criminal justice system.