Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Policy
Introduction
Norton Road Primary is committed to providing a secure environment for pupils, where children feel safe and are kept safe. All adults at Norton Road Primary recognise that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility irrespective of the role they undertake or whether their role has direct contact or responsibility for children or not.
In adhering to this policy, and the procedures therein, staff and visitors will contribute to Norton Road Primary’s delivery of the outcomes to all children, as set out in s10 (2) of the Children Act 2004*. This Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Policy is one element within our overall school arrangements to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of all Children in line with our statutory duties set out at s175 of the Education Act 2002 (s157 of the Education Act 2002).
Our school's Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Safeguarding Policy also draws upon the guidance contained in DfE Guidance "Keeping Children Safe in Education, " and specifically DCSF Resources "Learning Together to be Safe", "Prevent: Resources Guide", "Tackling Extremism in the UK", DfE's "Teaching Approaches that help Build Resilience to Extremism among Young People" and Peter Clarke's Report of July 2014.
* the physical, mental health and emotional well-being of children; the protection of children from harm and neglect; the education, training and recreation of children; the contribution made by them to society; and their social and economic well-being.
2. Ethos and Practice
When operating this policy Norton Road Primary uses the following accepted Governmental definition of extremism which is:
'Vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs; and/or calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas'.
There is no place for extremist views of any kind in our school, whether from internal sources — pupils, staff or governors, or external sources - school community, external agencies or individuals. Our pupils see our school as a safe place where they can explore controversial issues safely and where our teachers encourage and facilitate this — we have a duty to ensure this happens.
As a school we recognise that extremism and exposure to extremist materials and influences can lead to poor outcomes for children and so should be addressed as a safeguarding concern as set out in this policy. We also recognise that if we fail to challenge extremist views we are failing to protect our pupils.
Extremists of all persuasions aim to develop destructive relationships between different communities by promoting division, fear and mistrust of others based on ignorance or prejudice and thereby limiting the life chances of young people. Education is a powerful weapon against this; equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and critical thinking, to challenge and debate in an informed way.
Therefore, at Norton Road Primary we will provide a broad and balanced curriculum, delivered by skilled professionals, so that our pupils are enriched, understand and become tolerant of difference and diversity and also to ensure that they thrive, feel valued and not marginalized.
Furthermore, at Norton Road Primary we are aware that young people can be exposed to extremist influences or prejudiced views from an early age which emanate from a variety of sources and media, including via the internet, and at times pupils may themselves reflect or display views that may be discriminatory, prejudiced or extremist, including using derogatory language.
Any prejudice, discrimination or extremist views, including derogatory language, displayed by pupils or staff will always be challenged and where appropriate dealt with in line with our Behaviour and Discipline Policy for pupils and the Code of Conduct for staff. Where misconduct by a teacher is proven the matter will be referred to the National School for Teaching and Leadership for their consideration as to whether to a Prohibition Order is warranted.
As part of wider safeguarding responsibilities school staff will be alert to:
Our school will closely follow any locally agreed procedure as set out by the Local Authority and/or Luton’s Safeguarding Children Board's agreed processes and criteria for safeguarding individuals vulnerable to extremism and radicalisation.
At Norton Road Primary, we have determined "British Values" to be:
As a school we aim to develop and nurture these by:
We will all strive to eradicate the myths and assumptions that can lead to some young people becoming alienated and disempowered, especially where the narrow approaches children may experience elsewhere may make it harder for them to challenge or question these radical influences. In our school this will be achieved by good teaching, primarily via PSHE; but also by our positive and broad RE curriculum, assemblies, and across school of our positive Behaviour Policy which binds our community ethos, and is applied in and out of lessons.
We will ensure that all of our teaching approaches help our pupils build resilience to extremism and give pupils a positive sense of identity through the development of critical thinking skills, as appropriate to primary age children. We will ensure that all of our staff are equipped to recognise extremism and are skilled and confident enough to challenge it. Every member of staff will undertake ‘Prevent’ training on approximately a bi-annual basis, timed from term to term.
We will be flexible enough to adapt our teaching approaches, as appropriate, so as to address specific issues so as to become even more relevant to the current issues of extremism and radicalization through:
Our goal is to build mutual respect and understanding and to promote the use of dialogue not conflict to promote respect and resolution.
We will also work with local partners, families and communities in our efforts to ensure our school understands and embraces our local context and values to assist in the broadening of our pupils' experiences and horizons and preparing for life in modern Britain.
We will help support pupils who may be vulnerable to such influences as part of our wider safeguarding responsibilities and where we believe a student is being directly affected by extremist materials or influences we will ensure that that student referred to the attention of appropriate agencies. Additionally in such instances our school will seek external support from the Local Authority and/or local partnership structures working to prevent extremism.
At Norton Road Primary we will promote the values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs. We will teach and encourage pupils to respect one another and to respect and tolerate difference, including those of a different faith or no faith. It is indeed our most fundamental responsibility to keep our pupils safe and prepare them for life in modern multi-cultural Britain and globally.
At Norton Road Primary we encourage the use of external visits or visitors. By engaging with appropriately vetted agencies, speakers and providers to enrich the experiences and learning opportunities of our pupils, we broaden our pupils horizons.
These external agencies will be carefully chosen to ensure that we do not unwittingly use agencies that contradict each other with their messages or that are inconsistent with the school's values and ethos. We must be aware that in some instances the work of external agencies may not directly be connected with the rest of the school curriculum so we need to ensure that this work is of benefit to pupils.
Our school will assess the suitability and effectiveness of input from external agencies or individuals to ensure that:
Therefore by delivering a broad and balanced curriculum and enrichment programme augmented by the use of external sources where appropriate, we will strive to ensure our pupils become the best citizens of Britain and the World that they can be.
Where there are concerns of extremism or radicalisation Pupils, Staff and Governors will be encouraged to make use of our internal systems to Whistle Blow or raise any issue in confidence.
They must inform the Headteacher straight away (or if it relates to the Headteacher inform the Chair of Governors).
Please refer to our Safeguarding Policy for the broader procedural framework on our Safeguarding and Child Protection duties.
Staff at Norton Road Primary will be alert to the fact that whilst Extremism and Radicalisation is broadly a safeguarding issue there may be some instances where a child or children may be at direct risk of harm or neglect. For example; this could be due to a child displaying risky behaviours in terms of the activities they are involved in or the groups they are associated with or staff may be aware of information about a child's family that may equally place a child at risk of harm. (These examples are for illustration and are not definitive or exhaustive).
Therefore, all adults working in Norton Road Primary (including visiting staff, volunteers' contractors, and pupils on placement) are required to report instances where they believe a child may be at risk of harm or neglect to the Designated Safeguarding Leads including the Headteacher.
In Norton Road Primary our Safeguarding reporting arrangements are set out fully in our Safeguarding Policy.
The Designated Safeguarding Leads are:
Mike Austins (HT)
Dave Salisbury (DHT)
Heidi Culley (AHT / Inclusion)
Mandy Reader (FW)
Teresa Burke (FW)
Tracy Bibby (Business Manager)
Phil Adams (Cyber- ICT Co-Ord)
Prevent Trainers are:
Mike Austins (HT)
Teresa Burke (FW)
Tracy Bibby (Business Manager)
Phil Adams (ICT Co-Ord)
The Designated Safeguarding Lead team works in line with the responsibilities as set out in the DfE Guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education.' Please see our Child Protection Policy additionally.
The Governing Body of our school will support the ethos and values of our school and will support the school in tackling extremism and radicalisation.
In line with the provisions set out in the DfE guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education, ' the governing body will challenge the school's senior management team on the delivery of this policy and monitor its effectiveness.
Governors will monitor the quality and frequency of ‘Prevent’ training for staff and contribute to discussion and decision making in order to approve all relevant policies.
Governors will review this policy approximately annually.
Appendix 1: ‘Key Ingredients’ for successful teaching in the context of ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors
PUSH FACTORS – factors that push an individual/make an individual vulnerable to extremist messages
Lack of excitement, frustration
Lack of sense of achievement – seen as significant ‘lack of purpose’// confidence in the future, life goals
Lack of an outlet for views
Gaps in knowledge or understanding of Islam – both young people and their parents
Sense of injustice
Actual or perceived humiliating experiences (including bullying, racial discrimination as well as perceived humiliating experiences. Perhaps linked closely/to sense of injustice)
Exclusion – lack of belonging to peer or community networks, associations etc
Below the line: factors that are out of scope of this study |
KEY INGREDIENTS Teacher confidence in many cases it will be the use of existing teaching skills and methods which may well be the most effective approach. From prison settings, staff who are more confident in their abilities tend to perform much better even though they have not received specialist training
Teacher attitudes and behaviours
Specific knowledge:
Teaching practice/pedagody:
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PULL FACTORS – factors that draw young people into extremist messages
Charisimatic/confident individuals (recruiters)
Network/sense of belonging
Broader community views which enable or do not oppose extremism.
Persuasive, clear messages. Exploiting knowledge gaps.
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Disaffection with wider societal issues Disruptive home life
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Other factors Support from senior leaders Pupil support processes |
Sense of dignity and importance and loyalty Exciting (non-teaching) activities Sense of purpose in life |