Prevent – how well maintained schools implement their duties under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015

This thematic report evaluates how well maintained schools in Wales comply with their statutory duties, and how well they are supported in this by local authorities. The report also evaluates how well schools use the curriculum to build resilience and awareness among pupils, which helps keep them safe from the risks of radicalisation and extremism.

Recommendations

Schools should:

• R1 Include risks to pupils from radical and extremist ideologies in the school’s policies, in particular policies that cover ICT and online safety
• R2 Record and report all incidents of racist language and racial bullying properly, and offer suitable support and challenge to victims and perpetrators
• R3 Acknowledge that radicalisation and extremism are real risks to pupils in all schools, and ensure that staff training, policies and the curriculum suitably address these risks
• R4 Ensure that all pupils have a voice and can share with the school any concerns they have about behaviours or expressions of radical or extremist ideas

Local authorities should:

• R5 Monitor school safeguarding activity relating to duties under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 using criteria in the Home Office and Welsh Government self-assessment toolkits
• R6 Work with partners to ensure that schools are included in post-referral action plans in order to best support pupils subject to Channel support
• R7 Work with regional consortia to support schools in developing their curriculum to support pupils in building resilience when confronted with radicalised and extremist influences
• R8 Work with partners to ensure that requests for advice prior to referrals are captured in order to provide intelligence about the issues faced by schools
• R9 Improve the tracking of the take up of training by school leaders, governors and teachers, and ensure that the cascading of training is effective

The Welsh Government should:

• R10 Work with local authorities and regional consortia to support schools to build pupils’ resilience when confronted with radicalised and extremist influences