NASUWT comments on prevent duty report
Chis Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT - The Teachers' Union has commented on the reprt What the Prevent duty means for schools and colleges, published by Coventry University.
The NASUWT has always maintained the importance of ensuring that all children and young people are kept safe from abuse, indoctrination and hatred.
Teachers and school leaders take seriously the importance of protecting children and young people from all forms of extremism, including racist and far right extremism.
This report reflects many of the NASUWT’s views about the Prevent duty, namely that where schools provide effective training to teachers and integrate Prevent into their existing safeguarding procedures, teachers are more confident in implementing the duty.
It also reflects the Union’s concern that the Government’s focus on preventing Islamic extremism through Prevent may unduly stigmatise particular groups of young people and that handled badly, the Prevent duty has the potential to create division and hostility within school communities.
It is clear that schools need appropriate support to ensure that the Prevent duty is being implemented in a way which supports equality and diversity in schools and promotes community cohesion.
