Prevent
What is the PREVENT strategy?
Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. The Prevent Strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme far-right wing, extreme Islamist groups and other causes.
How does the PREVENT strategy apply to schools and parents?
From July 2015, and in the recent update in December 2023, all schools have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremism and violent views the same way we protect them from any other dangers. Schools can provide a safe place for children to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves. Parents can act as trusted adults to help their children make sense of the world and discuss issues associated with extreme or violent beliefs.
What do we do in school to help support the PREVENT strategy?
The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children, it is also about teaching children the British Values: the Rule of Law, Democracy, Individual Liberty, Tolerance and Mutual respect. We do many age appropriate things in school to help students become positive, happy members of society, which also contributes to the Prevent Strategy. These include:
- Exploring other cultures and religions, promoting diversity
- Challenging prejudices and having a zero tolerance approach to racist comments
- Developing a strong, positive self-identity through our pupil voice groups and PSHE lessons
- Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils, as well as British Values. Take a look at our British Values page and our Pupil Voice pages on our school website for more information.
We will also protect 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 visitors who come into school to work with pupils.