A company set up to help safeguard young children has been shortlisted for a national award.

Hayley Sherwood, passionate about safeguarding children because of her own life experiences, set up 1decision in Stevenage to provide safeguarding tools – embedded into a full personal, social, health and economic education scheme – for primary school pupils.

The PSHE programme for five to 11 year olds, which is used by schools all over the country, is one of five products shortlisted in the Citizenship/PSHE category of the Teach Primary Resource Awards.

Hayley said: “We are thrilled to be shortlisted, which brings independent recognition of our work.

“Having a dedicated category for Citizenship/PSHE acknowledges the important contribution these subjects make in primary schools.” She added: “Millions of pounds are spent each year training adults to recognise safeguarding concerns amongst children. My own childhood experiences and countless life stories of others prove this is still not enough.

“Society also reminds us that PSHE still needs to improve. Social issues such as violence, drugs, crime and obesity continue to dominate the world around us.

“For many years I worked within the secondary sector managing successful mentoring and prevention programmes, but I came to realise that earlier intervention is vital in order to make a bigger impact on society.

“It is essential we give young children the confidence to speak out, and the knowledge and skills to make safe and positive choices throughout their lives.

“I have studied and worked with leading consultants, organisations and schools to develop the most advanced resources for PSHE.”

Stevenage’s St Nicholas C of E Primary School and Nursery uses 1decision. Headteacher Sarah Stevens said: “We realise the importance of developing the whole child and ensuring they have education for life as well as for exams. PSHE is a crucial component of that. However, we were working with dated PSHE materials which told children what to think rather than providing the space for them to make their own decisions.

“1decision opens up pupils to dangerous situations in a virtual world, enabling them to make choices in a safe environment and make mistakes on the way.

“We are thrilled with 1decision. The impact is clear.”

The awards winners will be announced in October.