Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 10.42 of the Prevent Review, published in 2011, what steps her Department took between 2011 and 2014 to improve training and information on radicalisation for schools.

The Prevent programme is a strand of CONTEST – the UK’s strategy for countering extremism – aimed at stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism and extremism. Schools are important to the Prevent strategy both in order to reduce risks of radicalisation, and because schools should be safe spaces where children and young people can challenge and discuss ideas around extremism. Training and information for schools is provided mainly through local Prevent networks, funded by the Home Office, and by the local police, who are best placed to work with schools and to provide support tailored to their particular circumstances. The support available includes trained experts who can deliver training and information in schools.

Since the publication of the Prevent strategy over 130,000 public sector workers, including school staff, have been trained on tackling extremism and identifying people at risk. Schools have access to a wide range of products to help them build pupils’ resilience to extremism and radicalisation.