Author: Joanne Whatley

The
PREVENT
Strategy
A guide for parents and families
S

What is the PREVENT strategy?
PREVENT is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. The PREVENT strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism including the extreme right wing, violent groups and other causes.
How does the PREVENT strategy apply to preschool?
From July 2015 schools and other organisations have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views, the same way we protect them from drugs or violence. Importantly, we can provide a safe place where children can start to learn that some attitudes and views are not acceptable.

Our response
P Promotion of equality and diversity and positive relationships between children
R Referral of any concerns via safeguarding staff to relevant authorities
E Education promoting British values so children learn to challenge extremist views
V Vetting any material the children are exposed to and any adults they come into contact with through pre-school
E Esteem And resilience – Activities to grow citizens with the confidence to
challenge Radicalisation
N News – staying up-to-date with local concerns and information from local
authorities
T Training of staff to raise awareness of the signs and risks
responsibilities

What does this mean in practice?
Many of the things we do at pre-school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the prevent strategy. These include
Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
Challenging prejudices and racist comments
Developing critical thinking skills and a strong positive sense of self identity
Promoting the spiritual moral social and cultural development of the children as well as British values such as democracy

Frequently asked questions
How does prevent relate to British values?
Educational settings have been required to promote British values since 2014 and this will continue to be part of our response to the prevent strategy. British values include:
Democracy
The rule of law
Individual liberty and mutual respect
Tolerance of faith and beliefs.
Isn't my child too young to learn about extremism?
The strategy is not about discussing extremism in itself which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect Our discussions at preschool are suitable for the age and development of the children involved
Is Extremism really a risk in our area?
Extremism can take many forms including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others.
We will be developing skills to protect Children from being vulnerable to radicalisation, now or later in their lives.

Further Information
Information is available in our policies which are available at www.littleapples.org
and online
Prevent duty guidance: England and Wales (2023) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Key terms
Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faith and beliefs
Ideology—a set of beliefs
Terrorism—a violent action against people or property designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause
Radicalisation the process by which a person comes to support extremism and terrorism,
Misogynistic— hatred and mistrust of women
Channel—an early intervention multi agency panel designed to safeguard vulnerable individuals from being drawn into extremism or terrorist behaviour