FINAL GPSJ Summer edition 2024 ONLINE VERSION.2pdf - Flipbook - Page 27
EDUCATION & LEARNING
GPSJ
Prevent duty updates for schools
by Mubina Asaria
Mubina Asaria,
Safeguarding
Consultant at LGfLThe National Grid for
Learning, outlines the
updates to Prevent duty
for schools.
Talking with schools, I’ve
received lots of questions
and requests for advice
about best practice to
demonstrate compliance and
implementation, of the updated
Prevent duty guidance. What
does good practice look like?
What do schools need to know?
What do schools need to do?
Here’s an outline of the changes
and some practical tips, to help
schools and colleges meet their
safeguarding responsibilities
In today’s world, there are an
increasing number of pathways
to radicalisation. Many different
factors, singular or combined, can
steer someone towards extremist
ideologies which may lead to them
performing acts of terrorism. These
radicalising influences are present
both online and in the real world. The
role of Prevent duty in schools and
colleges, is to protect children and
young people from radicalisation.
Although the new guidance has
no additional requirements for
educational settings, it has been
updated and refreshed to promote
best practice.
Increasingly, Islamist ideology
is resilient and enduring, Extreme
Right Wing ideology is resurgent,
whilst other ideologies, although
less present, still have potential
to motivate, inspire and be used
to justify terrorism. Conspiracy
theories can also act as gateways to
radicalised thinking and sometimes
violence. Therefore, it is crucial that
Designated Safeguarding Leads
(DSLs) are aware of these and other
emerging ideologies.
Young people spend an increasing
amount of time online, often
unsupervised. According to the latest
report from Ofcom - Children and
Parents: Media Use and Attitudes
(April 2024)1 - they can bypass age
restrictions on apps and websites,
increasing the risk of them coming
to harm online, and may have
several online profiles that make
them appear older than they actually
are – exposing them to content
inappropriate for their age.
The internet is now becoming
the predominant pathway for online
radicalisation, and the ‘preferred’
avenue for those searching for
terrorist propaganda or contacts.
There is a concerning rise in the
number of under 18s unwittingly
committing offences by downloading
and disseminating online terrorist
materials. The updated guidance
underlines the need for embedding
age-appropriate online safety in the
curriculum, alongside developing
critical thinking skills that will enable
young people to ask questions,
check their sources, and challenge
what they see on their screens.
Some terminology in the guidance
has also been changed. Rather
than individuals being referred to
as ‘vulnerable’ to radicalisation,
the guidance now uses the term
‘susceptibility’ to suggest an
individual’s agency over decisions to
choose to adopt a terrorist ideology.
However, in the safeguarding
context of a school, the Government
acknowledges children and young
people are inherently vulnerable as
they are under 18. All the changes to
the document’s official terminology,
are clarified in a new and useful
glossary of terms which is included
in the guidance.
The risk and threat landscape
section of the guidance has also
been updated in line with the
Government’s Counter-terrorism
strategy (2023) and there is a greater
emphasis on proportionality to local
risk.
Schools should review their risk
assessments and consider whether
they accurately reflect and account
for these changes. Decisions should
be informed by the terrorism threat
picture, and Prevent activity should
be proportionate to the local risk, the
setting size and provision. The risk
picture for a school in London will be
very different from a school in rural
Wales.
Schools can find out more about
their local risk and threat picture
(sometimes referred to as a counterterrorism local profile or CTLP) by
engaging with the local authority or
local policing. The DfE’s Regional
Prevent Education Coordinators
(RPECs) can also help identify
relevant partners in the locality and
how to contact them.
To help support schools make
any necessary adjustments, the
DfE has launched new Prevent
risk assessment templates working documents for schools to
understand the national and local
risk and to enable a proportionate
response.
There is a new theme within the
guidance – ‘reducing permissive
environments’ – which outlines
ways to limit potential harm from
radicalising narratives both online
and offline, by creating environments
conducive to safeguarding, i.e.
ensuring appropriate IT filtering,
visiting speaker policies etc.
There is also more clarity on
training requirements. I recommend
the Government’s online Prevent
duty training for all staff, with further
in-depth training for Designated
Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) and
leadership. This additional training
should be refreshed every two years,
so DSLs and leaders can cascade
knowledge and update staff and the
wider school community, on relevant
issues.
Finally, there’s the introduction of
a new national referral form for use
by all Prevent partners. Schools
will continue to follow their existing
processes for sharing information,
but it’s critical that any Prevent
concerns are securely transferred
when a student moves school.
Although much of the guidance
remains the same, support is
available to schools to help
implement the changes. LGfL has
collaborated with other organisations
such as Educate Against Hate,
to develop interactive curriculum
resources for students, a staff quiz
and relevant training for DSLs,
leadership and staff, all available free
to all schools at prevent.lgfl.net.
Mubina Asaria, Safeguarding
Consultant at LGfL
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SUMMER 2024
27