Prevent Duty

Keeping Our Children Safe

At our Church of England Primary School, the safety and wellbeing of every child is at the heart of everything we do. As part of our safeguarding responsibilities, we recognise our duty to protect children from the risk of radicalisation and extremism.

The Prevent duty is part of the Government’s safeguarding strategy. It requires schools to have appropriate arrangements in place to identify and respond to concerns that a child may be at risk of being drawn into terrorism or extremist activity.

Our approach to Prevent is proportionate, child-centred and rooted in our wider safeguarding practice. We aim to create a school community where children feel safe, valued, respected and confident to ask questions and talk about things that concern them.

What do we do?

Prevent is incorporated into our existing safeguarding procedures. We:

• Teach children about respect, kindness, inclusion and the importance of treating others fairly.

• Encourage children to think critically and ask questions about the world around them.

• Help pupils understand that people may hold different beliefs, opinions and viewpoints.

• Promote British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

• Provide children with safe opportunities to discuss difficult or sensitive subjects.

• Help pupils understand how to stay safe online and recognise that not everything they see or read online is reliable or appropriate.

• Ensure staff receive appropriate safeguarding and Prevent training.

• Follow our safeguarding procedures when a concern is identified.

• Work with parents, carers and relevant external agencies where appropriate.

What is radicalisation?

Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism or forms of extremism that may lead to terrorism.

There is no single pathway to radicalisation, and there is no single profile of a child who may be vulnerable. We therefore take a safeguarding approach and consider each concern individually.

A child expressing a challenging opinion, asking difficult questions or showing an interest in a particular subject does not, by itself, mean that they are being radicalised.

What should I do if I have a concern?

If you are worried about something your child has said, seen or experienced, please speak to a member of the school’s safeguarding team.

We encourage parents and carers to talk openly with their children about what they see and hear online and to reassure them that they can always come to a trusted adult if something worries or confuses them.

If you have an immediate safeguarding concern, please contact the school in accordance with our safeguarding procedures.

Our Christian ethos

As a Church of England school, our Christian vision encourages us to value every individual as someone who is uniquely created and valued by God. We seek to build a community characterised by love, compassion, forgiveness, dignity, respect and service.

We want our pupils to grow into thoughtful and responsible citizens who can listen to others, disagree respectfully, recognise prejudice and discrimination, and contribute positively to their communities.

Our Prevent work forms part of this wider commitment to keeping children safe and helping every child flourish.

Further information

For further information about Prevent and safeguarding, parents and carers can speak to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or visit the relevant government guidance.