DfE launches Prevent Duty Self-Assessment Tool to help schools safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism

The Department for Education has released its new Prevent Duty Self-Assessment Tool for Schools – an easy-to-use resource designed to help Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) and wider Senior Leadership Teams (SLTs) implement the Prevent duty to safeguard children and young people from radicalisation and extremism.

This new tool, developed in collaboration with edtech charity LGfL-The National Grid for Learning, provides schools with a practical overview of areas to consider throughout the school year. By encouraging a cycle of continuous review and improvement, the tool helps schools assess how well policies and practices are embedded, and identify any challenges, gaps and areas of weakness.

The self-assessment tool, which comes complete with a spreadsheet and guide, follows the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework grading.  SLTs and DSLs simply gather and input evidence for the seven areas outlined that enable them to accurately review their strengths and areas for development, which can be repeated throughout the year:

1.         Leadership and Management

2.         Risk Assessment

3.         Working in Partnership

4.         Training

5.         Online Safety

6.         Safeguarding School Premises

7.         Building Children’s Resilience to Radicalisation

To be effective, consultation and dialogue with students, staff and the wider school community is crucial. This is particularly important for the Online Safety section, in light of the Government’s guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education, which advocates a whole school approach.

To support this, we recommend schools also refer to LGfL’s Online Safety Audit for Schools to help evaluate their leadership, training, filtering and monitoring, parental engagement, policy and practice, and curriculum.  “Online safety requires consistency, common understanding and clear communication – unless all stakeholders are involved and staff know what others are doing – including technical teams – there will be gaps. And the same applies if policy does not reflect practice,” said Mubina Asaria, Safeguarding Consultant, LGfL-The National Grid for Learning.

“The evidence schools record on the spreadsheet should be robust and include actions, details and dates,” she said.  Results can then be incorporated into the school’s Prevent and school development plan and shared with governors and trustees to help them fulfil their duties.