Teaching 7 year olds about fire in schools

[kip1]

Hi, this is the first time i have used this site to ask a question, but i feel i can't help my friend this time round or where we go.
Any way, my friends 7 year old started a fire in his bedroom using toilet tissue and pushing the burning pile under his wardrobe, it has come to light that his school teacher has been teaching them about the fire of london, but to show the dangers of fire she showed them how to start a fire but they were not shown how to put it out, when my friend told his teacher what her son had done she said "oh sorry, that might be my fault" now i'm asking are teachers aloud to show children that young how to start fires and if not can my friend complain and to who?

ps the head teacher has been suspended.

thanks kip1

Did he use a cooker, matches or lighter? As a parent if my child did that then I'd be looking at safety in the home first.

Special needs aside surely all 7 year old kids know not to start a fire?

Nobody has shown my children but they know that a match/lighter or cooker could be used to start a fire.

Personally I'd call the LEA or talk to the governors/deputy as it's not necessary to have a real fire to learn about the Great Fire of London!! I hope that the teacher did not react in the way you describe considering the serious consequences...

When I was 7 we were all allowed to use matches at school to light our advents candles. None of us set fire to our bedrooms. Presumably because we had been drilled in fire safety at home.

How on earth did he have access to something - a match, presumably - to start a fire with?!! I'd be asking that first!

Starting a fire at school does seem unnecessary, but I don't think your friend is blameless either.

Hi, thanks for all your thoughts, i did ask the question about how he managed to get hold of some thing to enable him to start the fire, she has a lighter to light her gas hob, but she has (& i have seen it) always put the lighter in a small metal box in a cupboard top shelf, the only thing i can think is has seen her put it there and climb the work tops to get it,

but he does have issues for which he is under doctors reviews test etc... but he has never thought about starting a fire before,

and to answer crazygracieuk, yes that was excatly the teachers responce, my friend would never have known what the teacher was showing them if she hadn't spoken to her with regards to her son might be some what upset due to having certain toys removed from him as punishment for starting the fire.

i just wanted to know if it was normal for cchildren to be shown how to start a fires in class at his age.

I have taught my eight-year-old how to build a fire and light it. She certainly does understand the safety aspects and I have no particular fear that she might transfer those skills from the livingroom fireplace to her bedroom.
I think 7/8 is actually a very good age to teach children the safe use of matches. As a Brownie leader, for instance I do exactly that when we do our Brownie Skills badge - it is an important life skill to acquire.
As regards the teacher, it depends exactly what she told or showed the class and in what context.

At the same age, my DD also studied the Great Fire of London. They also took the opportunity to bring the Fire Brigade in to do a big fire safety talk. She was very well briefed in the dangers of fire and no fires were lit in school.

I also have a friend whose son is a bit obsessed with fire and has succeeded in setting light to the living room curtains. I would not have thought any school would want to take risks with teaching children of that age to light fires.

Maybe in Scouts, or with older children on some sort of outward bound thing with lots of safety briefing. But not just to illustrate a history lesson.

When my brother was about 7 he lit a candle in my bedroom and then put it in a cupboard "to see it in the dark". Then my mum shouted from downstairs that it was time to go out and he forgot all about it.

When we got home we could smell smoke and by sheer luck the candle had only partially burnt through the shelf above, thus avoiding setting the whole thing alight.

He knew all about fire and fire safety at that age (ie that you don't ever play with matches etc) but he still did it. Kids are fascinated by fire imo and as a parent you have to make sure that you keep the means of starting one well out of their reach as well as teaching them about consequence.

Ds is 4 and knows this so tbh I'm surprised your friend hasn't talked to her son before. Her job, not the school's really.

I teach firelighting to Y2 upwards (outside, in the context of forest school). Before that (YR and Y1) I teach them how to lay fires but I always do the lighting. They are taught very explicit and specific rules(e.g., firea are lit only outside, with an adult, keep a safe distance, have a container of water handy). I only do firelighting with groups of children I know well and have built up 'trust' with (e.g., rules must be followed and if not, there are consequences).

Why has the head teacher been suspended?

hi, thanks again for all your thoughts,

the thing that is worrying me is that she is crying and it has really frightened her, she thinks her son is out of control and could easily do it again, in 12 years my own son has been so easy and i have never had any trouble with instilling into him all the dangers of life strangers, fires, roads etc... which is why i am trying to get help here for her, his main problem is he just dosen't seem to be able to listen and retain information about any thing so she is worried this wil happen again,