The Turing School - Prevent Strategy ​​​​​​​

 

What is the Prevent Strategy?

Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes.

The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent groups and other causes.

How does the Prevent Strategy apply to schools?

Since 2015  and all schools (as well as other organisations) are required to have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.

This means we have a responsibility to protect children and young people from extremist and violent views, in the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence.

Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others. We will give students the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.

Importantly, we can provide a safe place for students to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.

What does this mean in practice?

At The Turing School we deliver a broad and balanced curriculum to prepare students to become responsible citizens as adults. Many of the things we do help our students to become positive, happy members of their communities and wider society, which contributes to the Prevent strategy.

These include:

• Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity

• Challenging all forms of prejudices and racist comments 

• Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity

• Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance

• Ensuring a positive and effective safeguarding culture

At The Turing School we also protect students from the risk of radicalisation, for example, by teaching them about online safety, using filters on the internet to make sure they cannot access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with students.

KEY TERMS

• Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

• Ideology – a set of beliefs

• Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause

• Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support extremism and terrorism