More than 59 Year 6 students at Beechwood Junior School will be commended by the Mayor and the Hampshire Police Chief Inspector for their participation in a newly designed citizenship course.

The Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Les Harris, pictured, and Hampshire Police Chief Inspector Beth Pirie, will commend the students for their participation in the course at a ceremony at the school later this month.

The curriculum aims to promote a sense of community and citizenship and help students with their transition from primary to senior school.

The course is designed to “help them better understand how to be a good member of their community, help resolve social issues that may worry them by getting support from authorities, and make positive choices in their young adult lives”.

Students focused on a number of project areas for the course. They worked with Hampshire Constabulary PC Dan Grace to research the main crime issues around the school and learned that antisocial behaviour was the primary problem; they then created media campaigns aimed at their peers to discourage it, including a radio advert with UNITY-FM and a soundscape performance piece with The Mayflower Theatre's ENGAGE programme. There will be special performances (in radio, song, drama and film) of their campaigns at the ceremony.

Students also learned about inter-generational issues, becoming Dementia Friends after attending an awareness session by Alzheimer's Society and council representatives at the school. They also learned about the importance of recycling from a council recycling officer and how littering affects the environment from an educator at Swanwick Lakes nature reserve.