Since July last year, schools have been given a legal duty to prevent students from being drawn into terrorism. Government guidance specifies that this includes “non-violent extremism which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism and can popularise views which terrorists exploit”.
Some warn that teachers, who are already overworked, are being asked to do yet more; others worry that they’re being turned into spies, which could damage trust in the school community. There are also fears that schools feel obliged to report incidents, even when this might not be appropriate. High profile cases where students have been questioned for seemingly benign comments – such as using the term “ecoterrorist” in a discussion about environmental activism – have done little to boost confidence in the government guidelines.
We want to hear teachers’ side of the story:
- Have you received Prevent training? If so, how useful did you find it?
- How practical are the obligations for teachers to implement?
- Have you ever faced a situation where a student has made a comment or behaved in a way that could be deemed “extremist” according to the Prevent agenda? Did you feel under pressure to report the incident to a senior leader, or the police?
- Are you more or less likely to discuss controversial topics, such as extremism, as a result of Prevent?
- Has the Prevent programme been helpful and improved your school’s safeguarding policies?
All responses will be kept anonymous.
To contribute, please respond in the form below. You don’t need to supply your real name, but please do leave contact details if you’re happy for us to get in touch.
