The Prevent Duty In Education

The Prevent Duty is about safeguarding individuals and communities from the threat of terrorism, it is one of the four stands of the Government’s Counter Terrorism Strategy CONTEST

The Duty applies to “specified authorities” who are inspected for compliance by Ofsted (utilising their Education Inspection Framework), this means that all schools and childcare providers have a legal duty to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. Prevent covers all forms of terrorism and extremism, including right wing terrorism, violent Islamist extremism, and emerging risks such as mass shootings and the Involuntary Celibate movement. It’s about everyone taking responsibility and knowing what to do if they have concerns.

The Prevent strategy focuses on three key areas:

  • To respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it.
  • Divert people away from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given help and support.
  • Work with sectors and institutions (including education), where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to address.

Kent and Medway is a priority area for Prevent and has a dedicated team of professionals that support sectors and intuitions to fulfil the requirements of the Prevent Duty and support those at risk of radicalisation. The team includes two education officers, working in partnership with the Department for Education, to provide free support, training, and guidance to education settings to develop and embed a whole school approach to the Prevent duty.

Protecting children and young people from the risk of radicalisation, is a key part of your setting overall safeguarding responsibilities, it’s important that all staff and governors know how to protect them from this threat. Understanding how to embed the Prevent Duty as part of your wider approach to safeguarding and across the curriculum will help you to protect children, young people, from the risks of radicalisation, violent extremism, becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

Prevent Duty guidance refresh
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The Prevent Duty guidance has been refreshed and updated to reflect recommendations of the independent review of Prevent. The independent review found there were some areas where we could strengthen the programme and we've worked closely with those sectors impacted, including education, to improve them.

You can read more about what the key changes are, how they affect different phases of education and what support is available by reading the ‘how we’re safeguarding learners from radicalisation’ blog post from the Department for Education.

There are no new legal requirements or additional responsibilities for education settings, and changes aren’t anticipated to come into effect until 31 December 2023 at the earliest.

Key changes

  • Ideological causes of terrorism
  • Updated terminology
  • Training
  • Managing risk
  • Information sharing

In addition, for further education

  • External speakers and events

Support available for education settings

Education settings looking for more information on what the changes to the guidance mean for them can find them below:

This page contains a range of information, resources, advice, and guidance that is intended to support education and childcare providers to think about what they can do to protect children and young people from the risk of radicalisation and how they can access support to do this.

Key documents
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If you are concerned about the radicalisation of a young person or other family members please refer the case to the County Channel Panel, or contact Early Help or the Central Referral Unit. If you wish to talk to the Prevent Education Officer please email Sally.Green2@kent.gov.uk.

Prevent Education Officer newsletter
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Please find previous editions of the Prevent Education Officer newsletters.

Contact details
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Prevent Education Officers, supporting education settings across Kent and Medway to fulfil their responsibilities under the Prevent Duty.

  • Rachel Murray  - Rachel.Murray@kent.gov.uk -  Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Swale and Thanet
  • Sally Green - Sally.Green2@kent.gov.uk - Dartford, Gravesham, Maidstone, Medway, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells

Community Engagement Officer, providing support, guidance and developing relationships across Kent and Medway communities and partners. Educating about Prevent and building resilience to extremist influences.

Prevent Coordinator, coordinates Prevent activity across Kent and Medway agencies, develops and oversees a partnership Prevent plan, and delivers Prevent training to a range of agencies.

Assistant Director Contest and Serious Organised Crime (SOC), strategic lead for Prevent, counter terrorism coordinator for Kent County Council, chair of Kent Channel Panel.