How the escalation in violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories may impact students.

Following the assault launched by Hamas on Saturday, the DfE are supporting the wider Home Office response to the significant escalation in violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our thoughts are with all of the innocent victims of this devastating conflict.

You will be aware of how this heightened violence can often have a knock-on effect on inter-faith relations, hate crime incidents and exploitation by extremists here in the UK. As such, we have put together the below short refresher on Prevent referrals, thresholds, and incidents in schools in order to help provide clarity in conversations with stakeholders and partners.

Prevent and Schools

Many young people will have a strong personal interest in these issues, and we are aware that in some schools this may lead to political activity by older pupils.

Schools should ensure that political expression by pupils is done sensitively, avoiding disruption and feelings of intimidation or targeting for other pupils and staff.  Schools should also make every effort to ensure that this activity does not extend to discriminatory bullying or involve the expression of antisemitic, anti-Muslim, or other discriminatory views.

Where this does happen, the Department for Education expect schools to deal with these incidents with all due seriousness, in line with their behaviour policy.

Depending on the circumstances, safeguarding leads may also look to determine whether abusive and discriminatory views expressed or shared by pupils are representative a wider susceptibility, and consider the appropriateness of engaging with support through the Prevent programme. We trust teachers and other staff to exercise their professional judgment about whether a referral is appropriate, as they do for all other safeguarding risks.

Please get in touch with your Prevent Education Officer if you have any concerns.

• North, West and Medway - Sally.Green2@kent.gov.uk
  South and East - Jill.Allen@kent.gov.uk

Schools should also be mindful of their legal duties regarding political impartiality and should always avoid working organisations that promote anti-semitic, anti-Muslim or any other discriminatory views. The Department for Education has published clear and comprehensive guidance to help those working with and in schools to better understand legal duties on political impartiality

You may find the following guidance publications useful on the Solutions Not Sides website