As part of our commitment to tackling hate and promoting safer, more inclusive Torus communities, our Safer Estates team has delivered a series of Hate Crime Awareness sessions to Year 6 pupils across three primary schools. This has coincided with the national Hate Crime Awareness Week.

Throughout Hate Crime Awareness Week (10 - 17 October 2026), our Senior Safer Estates Enforcement Officer, Katie Toutountzi, with support from colleagues in the team, delivered a Hate Awareness session at:

• Whitefield Primary School in Liverpool
• Broad Oak Primary School in St Helens
• Our Lady's Primary School in Warrington

Across all three schools, 136 pupils participated in the sessions. The engagement and enthusiasm shown by the children was excellent, with all sessions being warmly received by both pupils and school staff.

The key message throughout was clear: hate in any form is never acceptable. By the end of the sessions, pupils demonstrated an understanding of:

• The difference between a hate crime, hate incident, and hate speech.
• The impact that hate can have on individuals, families, and wider communities.
• The potential consequences of engaging in hateful behaviour.
• The importance of treating others with dignity, respect, and inclusion.
• Their responsibility to report hate-related behaviour to a trusted adult who can help.
• The importance of not being a bystander and ensuring they do not become the person responsible for causing harm through hateful actions.

These sessions are an important step in educating young people about respect, diversity, and community cohesion, helping create future generations who understand the impact of hate and feel empowered to challenge it appropriately.

If you have been the victim of a crime or have experienced harassment, violence or intimidation, you must report it directly to the police as soon as you can. For more information about reporting hate crime, visit torus.co.uk/hatecrime