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Teachers and schools have new legal duty to watch for signs of radicalisation among pupils (1 July 2015)

Date: 01/07/2015
Duncan Lewis, Crime Solicitors, Teachers and schools have new legal duty to watch for signs of radicalisation among pupils

From Wednesday (1 July) teachers and schools will have a legal duty under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act to be on the lookout for signs of radicalisation among schoolchildren – and reports concerns to the Department for Education (DfE).

BBC News reports that Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is calling on teachers to play a role in spotting the early signs of radicalisation and report any concerns.

Ms Morgan said:

“Extremism has no place in our schools.

“Recent events have shown the risks of young people being targeted by radical groups should not be underestimated.
“Schools and childcare providers already play an important role in protecting and safeguarding young people including from radicalisation and extremism,” she added.

The government has set up a telephone helpline to enable teachers, school governors and other school staff to raise concerns directly with the DfE.

The new rules under the Act also apply to staff in other public organisations such as prisons.

The role of “frontline staff” in public bodies will include challenging extremism, as well as recognising the early signs of radicalisation in primary and secondary, state and independent schools – including warning pupils against “non-violent extremism”.

Government guidance for schools states:

Being drawn into terrorism includes not just violent extremism, but also non-violent extremism, which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism and can popularise views which terrorists exploit.

Teachers will be required to assess the risk of pupils being drawn into extremist ideologies – and schools must ensure that pupils do not access extremist material online.

There will also be training provided for staff, to help them identify children at risk and “to challenge extremist ideas”.
Leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, Russell Hobby, said that schools should see their new legal duties as safeguarding and not surveillance:

“Schools are used to keeping their students safe from harm and this is a version of that – this means looking out for students, rather than conducting surveillance on them.

“It means understanding the risk and acting proportionately – and it does mean reporting serious concerns, so that any danger can be prevented before it materialises.”

However, Christine Blower of the NUT said that teachers should not be “turned into spies in the classroom”, adding that the Prevent counter-extremism strategy was already causing “significant nervousness and confusion among teachers”.

Scotland will have a different set of guidelines on spotting the signs of radicalisation from England and Wales.

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