Prevent
Prevent Guidance for Parents
What is Prevent?
In June 2015, the Department for Education (DfE) published new guidance on “The Prevent Duty.”
This guidance prescribed new legal responsibilities on all schools in the UK. The Prevent Duty is part of our safeguarding duties to protect children from harm. The Prevent Duty requires out school to assess the risk of our pupils being drawn into radicalisation and extremism, and it requires our staff to be able to identify and respond to children who are vulnerable to radicalisation.
The DfE’s guidance defines radicalisation as;
“the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism.”
It defines extremism as;
“vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law,
individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.”
It is important to remember that these definitions do not only apply to one religious or political stand-point and can, in fact, apply to all political and religious stand-points that are imposed upon others, or oppose the fundamental British values, to extreme or fanatical levels. However, while this will not affect how we educate our pupils on controversial, religious and political matters, we have introduced the following measure to ensure the safety or our pupils and comply with government requirements.
What have we done at St Bede’s?
| Action | Why |
| Updated E Safety Policy | We have updated our E Safety Policy to include filters restricting pupils accessing extremist material on the internet. The filters will also inform staff should certain extremist vocabulary be used by pupils or staff whilst accessing the internet. |
| Updated External Visitors Policy |
We have updated our External Visitors Policy to prohibit any extremist visitors or speakers from gathering or performing in our school. |
| Updated Preventing Radicalisation and Extremism Policy |
We have updated our Preventing Radicalisation and Extremism Policy to include indicators for vulnerability to radicalisation. |
| Updated Safeguarding Policy including Child Protection |
Updated our Safeguarding Policy to include requiring our safeguarding lead to hold training in school with staff to inform them of the “risk indicators” |
| Recording of Radicalisation Incidents |
Any incident of extremist or radicalist behaviour is now logged on our Central Safeguarding Incident Register. This is also placed into the individual pupil’s safeguarding file. |
If you have any concerns, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead and Prevent
Single Point of Contact (SPOC), Mr Jon Shires, Vice Principal via the School Office.
Spotting the signs of radicalisation (Taken from NSPCC)
Spotting the signs of radicalisation (Taken from NSPCC)
Radicalisation can be really difficult to spot. Signs that may indicate a child is being
radicalised include:
o isolating themselves from family and friends
o talking as if from a scripted speech
o unwillingness or inability to discuss their views
o a sudden disrespectful attitude towards others
o increased levels of anger
o increased secretiveness, especially around internet use.
Children who are at risk of radicalisation may have low self-esteem, or be victims of bullying or discrimination. Extremists might target them and tell them they can be part of something special, later brainwashing them into cutting themselves off from their friends and family.
However, these signs don't necessarily mean a child is being radicalised – it may be normal teenage behaviour or a sign that something else is wrong.
Talking about terrorism
Children are exposed to news in lots of different ways and what they see can worry them. Our tips can help you have a conversation with your child.
• Listen carefully to their fears and worries.
• Offer reassurance and comfort.
• Avoid complicated and worrying explanations that could be frightening and confusing.
• Help them find advice and support to understand distressing events and feelings.
• Children can always contact Childline free and confidentially on the phone and online.
Dealing with bullying and abuse
It’s important to address bullying and abuse following terrorist attacks.
• Some children may feel targeted because of their faith or appearance.Look for signs of bullying, and make sure they know they can talk to you. Often children might feel scared or embarrassed, so reassure them it's not their fault this is happening, and they can always talk to you or another adult they trust. Alert your child’s school so they can be aware of the issue.
Dealing with offensive comments about a child’s faith or background
If you think your child is making unkind or abusive comments, it’s important to intervene. Calmly explain that comments like this are not acceptable. Your child should also understand that someone’s beliefs don't make them a terrorist. You could ask them how they think the other child felt, or ask them how they felt when someone said something unkind to them.