Schools have a crucial role in protecting youngsters who are vulnerable to radicalisation.
The government has urged schools to be aware of the resources and tools that aim to protect children and young people from dangerous ideologies, including right-wing extremism.
The Department for Education has provided an overview of these on its Education Hub blog.
The post says: “There are things that education settings can do to counter extreme ideologies and build their students’ resilience to radicalisation and extremism, such as teaching about extreme right-wing ideologies, Islamist extremism or discussing fundamental British values with students.
“Children and young people are vulnerable to radicalisation and schools have a crucial role in protecting them or if needed, referring them via the government’s Prevent programme.”
It points out that its Educate Against Hate website, launched in 2016 and regularly updated, provides over 100 free resources for teachers, school leaders and parents to support them in challenging radical views and keeping children safe, including from online extremist influences.
There is an interactive learning platform ‘Going Too Far?’ which teaches young people about staying safe online from radicalisation and other forms of harm.
The government has also issued further practical guidance for schools and education and childcare providers to help them understand how to implement the duty, as well as offering a range of online training, including the Home Office’s Prevent e-learning platform.
Its statutory safeguarding guidance Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) provides schools and colleges with information on what they should be doing to protect pupils and students online.
The post says: “All schools and colleges must have regard to this when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This includes insuring that filtering and monitoring systems are in place and regularly review their effectiveness to protect children when they are online on the school or college’s IT systems.”
It also reminds teachers and parents about Prevent, a government programme which provides early intervention to divert adults and children susceptible to any form of extremism or radicalisation. “The aim is to act early by spotting the warning signs of an individual at risk of being drawn or groomed into extremist and terrorism ideologies and provide early intervention and support,” the blog explains.
