May Park Primary School

Prevent

What does the Prevent duty mean for schools?

The Prevent Duty is about ensuring that appropriate support is available for individuals who may demonstrate vulnerabilities to radicalisation. This is an extension of the safeguarding process in the same way that schools help to safeguard young people from child sexual exploitation, drugs, and other forms of harm.

At May Park we build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British Values and enabling them to challenge extremist views. It is important to emphasise that the Prevent duty is not intended to stop pupils debating controversial issues. On the contrary, school provides a safe space in which children and staff can understand the risks associated with terrorism and develop the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge extremist arguments. For Early Years children, the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage sets standards for learning, development and care of children, assisting their personal, social and emotional development and understanding of the world.

Channel

What is Channel?

Channel is a multi-agency approach to protect vulnerable people who may be susceptible to radicalisation. Channel is a voluntary, confidential programme which operates throughout England and Wales to safeguard people identified as vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. It is a multi-agency process, involving partners from the local authority, the police, education, health providers, and others. Referring possible cases of early-stage radicalisation works in a similar way to safeguarding processes designed to protect people from gang activity, drugs, and physical/sexual abuse.

It uses existing collaboration between the police, statutory partners, and the local community to:

• Identify individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism.

• Assess the nature and extent of that risk; and

• Develop the most appropriate support plan for the individuals concerned

• Operates in pre-criminal space

• Is a voluntary process.

Referral 

Who can make a referral?

A referral can come from anyone who is concerned about a person they know who may be at risk of radicalisation, whether a family member, friend, and colleague or from a wide range of partners: social services, children and adult services youth offending teams, health, police, education establishments, and places of worship and community organisations (through the normal safeguarding process).

The following websites gives parents/carers practical advice on protecting children from extremism and radicalisation.