The Prevent Duty
What Is The Prevent Strategy?
At Town Farm, we are dedicated to promoting the safety and wellbeing of our pupils. As part of our safeguarding responsibilities, we fully support the UK government's Prevent strategy, which aims to prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism or extremist ideologies.
Our school works closely with local authorities, police, and other agencies to identify and provide early intervention for those who may be vulnerable to radicalisation.
We are committed to ensuring that all members of our school community are aware of the signs of radicalisation and understand the importance of reporting concerns. Staff receive regular training to support this, and our policies reflect the need to protect our pupils from all forms of harm.
How Does The Prevent Strategy Apply To Schools?
The Prevent strategy is implemented in schools as part of the broader safeguarding framework to protect pupils from the risk of radicalisation and extremism. Schools play a crucial role in identifying vulnerable individuals and providing support. Here’s how it is implemented:
1. Leadership and Policy
- School has clear policies in place that outline their commitment to the Prevent strategy. The Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy includes specific sections on Prevent, which are reviewed regularly.
- School leadership, including the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), is responsible for overseeing the implementation of Prevent. They ensure the strategy is embedded in the school’s ethos and day-to-day operations.
2. Staff Training
- All staff receive Prevent awareness training, which equips them to recognise the early signs of radicalisation or extremism. This training helps them understand their role in safeguarding pupils and knowing how to respond if they have concerns.
- The training covers how to make referrals to the appropriate channels, like the school's safeguarding team or external agencies such as the local authority’s Channel Panel, which supports individuals vulnerable to radicalisation.
3. Curriculum Integration
- School integrate Prevent into the curriculum, especially through subjects like Religious Education (RE), and Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHE) education. These subjects promote critical thinking, tolerance, and understanding of different cultures and religions.
4. Pupil Support
- Schools provide a safe and supportive environment where pupils feel comfortable discussing any issues that concern them, including radicalisation.
- Pastoral care teams and counsellors may work with pupils who are identified as being at risk. Schools might also engage external services or support programs like the Channel initiative, which provides tailored interventions to address the specific needs of vulnerable pupils.
5. Online Safety
- Through e-safety lessons, students learn how to navigate the internet safely.
- Schools also monitor internet use within the school environment, using appropriate filtering and monitoring systems to detect any access to extremist materials.
6. Partnership with Local Authorities and External Agencies
- Schools work in partnership with local authorities, the police, and other agencies to implement the Prevent strategy effectively. This includes sharing information and making referrals if concerns arise about a student's vulnerability to radicalisation.
7. Reporting and Referrals
- If staff notice any behaviour that suggests a pupil may be at risk of radicalisation, they can make a referral to the school's safeguarding team. The team, led by the DSL, assesses the concern and may refer the pupil to external agencies, such as the Channel Panel or local Prevent coordinators, for further intervention.
8. Promoting British Values
- Schools promote fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. These values are embedded throughout school life, helping students build resilience against extremist ideologies.
Key Terms
Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
Ideology – a set of beliefs.
Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause.
Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support extremism and terrorism.
What Does This Mean At Town Farm?
Many of the things we already do at school, including the clear teaching of our ethos and values, help our children become positive members of society. Our curriculum and a variety of school activities such as regular assemblies also contribute to the Prevent strategy. At Town Farm School we:
- Put the safeguarding of our children above everything else
- Train our staff to spot signs early on and to voice concerns immediately
- Challenge prejudices and any racist comments
- Learn about a variety of religions through our RE teaching
- Develop high self-esteem for all pupils
- Promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils
- Promote British values such as democracy through our school council
- Protect our children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting who comes into school to work with pupils.
Please click the link to see the most recent Government Prevent documentation