Schools now have a duty of care to protect children from the risks of radicalisation and extremism. This is called ‘Prevent’.

The Prevent duty is “the duty in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 on specified authorities, in the exercise of their functions, to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.” (The Prevent duty – Departmental advice for schools and childcare providers, June 2015)

As a school we need to ensure we protect children from the risks of radicalisation and extremism through our safeguarding procedures. We also need to provide a safe environment in which controversial issues can be discussed and build our pupils’ resilience and self-esteem to enable them to challenge extremist views.

At Haxby Road Primary Academy we have made all staff aware of our responsibilities under the Prevent duty. We are amending all our relevant policies to comply with the Prevent duty. Through our RE and PHSCE curriculum and our work on Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development, including fundamental British values, we will enable children to explore a wide range of issues safely.

Key members of staff are attending WRAP (Workshop to raise awareness of Prevent) training later this month.

• You can download a copy of the government’s Prevent leaflet here