Over half a million enrolments on the Education and Training Foundation’s free #Prevent modules and resources

The use of the Education and Training Foundation’s (ETF) Prevent resources is continuing to grow with the number of enrolments reaching over half a million.

Since 2015, there have been over 180,000 sessions on the ETF’s ‘Prevent for FE and Training’ website and over 7,500 face-to-face training sessions, including sessions held inhouse, have been delivered. This is added to with over 263,000 staff and board members have enrolled on the staff Prevent awareness raising modules, while over 275,000 learners having enrolled on the ETF’s Side by Side Prevent duty modules on the ETF Learners website, since being launched in July 2017.

The ETF are trusted and funded by the Department for Education (DfE) to provide Prevent duty support for practitioners, leaders, organisations and employers in the Further Education (FE) sector, as well as providing resources for the sector’s learners. The Government’s Prevent duty strategy and the ETF’s resources aim to reduce the threat to the UK from extremism and terrorism by raising awareness of the dangers of being drawn into and supporting extremism.

Preventforfeandtraining.org.uk provides Prevent duty guidance and resources including sample policies, risk assessments and curriculum guidance for employers, practitioners, support staff, leader and managers, governors and board members and volunteers.

Online Prevent duty training modules and resources, funded by the DfE, are also offered by the ETF through the Foundation Online Learning website. Modules set out the requirements of the Prevent duty in the FE sector and include case studies to bring the responsibilities and requirements to life. Learners are provided with a downloadable or printable certificate of achievement if they achieve a success rate of 85% or more. The modules complement the material found on the Prevent for FE and Training website. 

The government funded Side by Side online modules and resources for learners across the FE sector are held on the ETF Learners website. The resource, shortlisted for both the ‘Best learning technologies project – public & non-profit sector’ and the ‘Excellence in the design of learning content – public & non-profit sector’ awards at the 2018 Learning Technology Awards, provides engaging learning modules about extremism and radicalisation, staying safe online, deciding what you can trust and British values.

The modules use video and drama, stop motion animation to be highly visual and reinforce learning with interactive exercises and assessments to check learning. Side by Side was designed to suit the needs of learners from Entry 3 to Level 3 and to engage learners from diverse backgrounds.

In a survey of teaching and training staff who had used the module with learners, it was reported that the modules have improved learners’ understanding of:

• Radicalisation and Extremism: 93% of respondents
• What Can You Trust?: 98% of respondents
• The Staying Safe Online: 96% of respondents
• The British Values: 90% of respondents

Selina Stewart, the Education and Training Foundation’s Prevent duty expert and Associate, said:

“As there continues to be a threat from different forms of extremism it is very pleasing to see that FE learners are using the free Side by Side modules in rapidly increasing numbers. The Prevent duty remains at the heart of all work with learners for employer providers, independent training providers, adult education providers or colleges. Learner use of the Side by Side modules is an effective way to demonstrate learner engagement with the Prevent duty.

“The Further Education sector is showing its commitment in responding to the potential risks posed by extremism and radicalisation by continuing to use these resources, and the face to face training all of which have been developed specifically for the sector, We hope that even more providers will use them.”

Pete Munday, Associate at the Education and Training Foundation, said:

“In the new Ofsted framework there is an ongoing focus on the Prevent duty and British values, it is normal practice for inspectors to ask apprentices in the workplace and students in colleges what they know about the Prevent duty, where they have covered British values in the curriculum and if they know how to keep themselves safe from radicalisation and extremism.

“It is very encouraging to see the resources being used so widely, we understand that providers often face challenges in educating learners about the dangers of all forms of extremism. The resources offered by the ETF have been designed to be easy to use and learner-friendly. User feedback has shown that learners and staff find them engaging and very informative.”