St Anne's Catholic Primary School

Building resilience in our young people and the promotion of fundamental British values is at the heart of preventing radicalisation. We do this by providing a safe place in which children can discuss issues, and we aim to give them the knowledge and confidence to challenge extremist beliefs and ideologies. As a school we recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability.

Our prevent duty, carried out under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, legally requires us to take steps to prevent pupils from being drawn into terrorism. We take this duty seriously and carry out the four main actions responsibly, namely: risk assessment, working in partnership, staff training and IT policies. If we assess a child as at risk, we will refer to the Channel Programme, which focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism or holding radical views.

In terms of training, staff have received training to familiarise them with the Prevent Duty and hold certificates to show they have completed the training. Regular updates and refresher training are provided by the Designated Safeguarding Lead. In terms of internet safety, we ensure suitable filters are in place to keep children away from all inappropriate materials, including extremist materials, in keeping with our Safeguarding and E-safety policy.

We recognise that we play a vital role in keeping children safe from harm, including from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and in promoting the welfare of children in our care.

f we have a concern about a particular pupil we will follow the school’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the school’s designated safeguarding lead, and where deemed necessary, with children’s services or make a referral to Channel.

We may also contact the local police force or dial 101 (the non-emergency number). They can talk to us in confidence about concerns and help us gain access to support and advice.

The Department for Education has dedicated a telephone helpline (020 7340 7264) to enable staff and governors to raise concerns relating to extremism directly. Concerns can also be raised by email to counter.extremism@education.gsi.gov.uk. Please note that the helpline is not intended for use in emergency situations, such as a child being at immediate risk of harm or a security incident. In an emergency situation we will follow the recommended emergency procedures.