Prevent duty guidance and information for schools.
Schools are Specified Authorities under Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, meaning they must have due regard to preventing people being drawn into terrorism. The Prevent duty guidance: England and Wales (2023) sets out the key responsibilities for Specified Authorities. The responsibilities for schools are summarised below:
Risk assessment
Schools must:
- assess the risk of pupils being drawn into terrorism, including exposure to extremist ideologies
- demonstrate that they are protecting pupils from these risks through effective safeguarding policies and early intervention
Working in partnership
Schools must work closely with:
- Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership
- Derbyshire County Council Prevent team
- Derbyshire Police (for Prevent referrals)
- other safeguarding partners
Staff training
Schools must ensure that staff:
- have training to identify signs of radicalisation
- are confident in challenging extremist ideas
- know how to refer concerns appropriately
Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) should receive more in-depth training to understand extremist ideologies and how to make well-informed, quality referrals.
Leadership, governance and compliance
Senior leaders and governors must:
- embed Prevent in safeguarding policies
- oversee compliance
Reducing permissive environments
Schools should reduce environments where extremist narratives can flourish. They should do this through:
- curriculum that builds resilience
- strong IT filtering and monitoring
- policies around visiting speakers
More sector-specific compliance guidance is set out in the Prevent Duty Guidance (Legislation.gov.uk).