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The Prevent duty

All schools and registered childcare providers are required to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This is called the Prevent duty.

If you are a head teacher, it’s your responsibility to put in place robust procedures to protect your students from radicalisation and extremism.

As a school leader, you are also responsible for the review and evaluation of these procedures, and making sure they are effective. These procedures may be set out in existing safeguarding policies; you do not necessarily need to have distinct policies on implementing the Prevent duty.

Every school is different and a ‘one size fits all’ approach to dealing with the threat of extremism won’t work. However, you must make sure that you have considered what is appropriate in your school based on your risk assessment and taking into account the circumstances of your school and its local community.

Protecting the children in your care against extremism and radicalisation should be treated in the same way as protecting them from other harms such as drugs, gangs, neglect and sexual exploitation, whether these come from within their family or are the product of outside influences.

In addition to your safeguarding responsibilities, your school should also help students build resilience against extremism and radicalisation by fostering a strong ethos and values-based education, as well as by providing a safe space for them to debate controversial issues and develop the critical thinking skills and knowledge they need to be able to challenge extremist arguments.

There are no mandatory reporting requirements under the duty. The Prevent duty is not about spying on students or carrying out unnecessary intrusion into family life. It’s about ensuring that your staff know how to identify behaviour of concern and how to refer students who may be at risk of radicalisation for appropriate support.

To help, here are some useful resources that explain the Prevent duty and advise on how you can lead your school in tackling extremism and radicalisation.

Useful links:

Resources

Statutory advice for further education institutions on safeguarding young people from being drawn into terrorism. This sector specific guidance for further education institutions in England and Wales subject to the Prevent duty is additional to, and is to be read alongside, the general Prevent duty guidance issued in July 2015. To comply with the duty, all further education institutions should have policies and procedures in place for the management of events held on their premises. The policies should apply to all staff, students and visitors and clearly set out what is required for any event to proceed.

Magistrates visit schools, colleges and community groups to discuss how our justice system works, including how verdicts and sentences are decided. Teams of magistrates give a presentation and discuss a range of topics, including how magistrates are appointed, what kind of cases they deal with, how guilt or innocence is decided and sentencing when guilt is established. The presentations are tailored to suit different audiences and requirements. These visits can support schools in promoting fundamental British values by giving students the opportunity to learn about and engage with the rule of law.

A link to quickly and anonymously report online material promoting terrorism or extremism. Anyone can report material such as: articles, images, speeches or videos that promote terrorism or encourage violence; content encouraging people to commit acts of terrorism; websites made by terrorist or extremist organisations; and videos of terrorist attacks. All referrals made through this tool go directly to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit in the Metropolitan police for assessment and investigation. School staff may become aware of inappropriate content through students or through online monitoring software.

An online interactive fictional trial, where the viewer learns about court process and compares their own verdict with that of the jury.