Preventing Radicalisation and Extremism
The Government’s response to this threat is the Counter Terrorism and Security Act (2015). One key aspect of the Act is that colleges now have a statutory duty to prevent young people in their care from being radicalised and drawn into terrorism.
The 16-19 age group is considered to be a very high risk group in terms of them being targeted by individuals seeking to radicalise young people, encouraging them to adopt extremist viewpoints and involving them in extremist activity. Colleges need to clearly demonstrate that they are taking strong measures to comply with the Act. This is called the Prevent Duty.
The three national Prevent objectives are:
- To respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it.
- To prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support.
- To support sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation.
The Oldham Sixth Form College Approach
The College is committed to the principle of free speech, the free flow of ideas and the exchange of opinion and debate. It is not intended that our Prevent duty will in any way impact on the academic freedom or civil liberties that are central to the success of our students. However, the College has a duty of care to its students and a clear and unambiguous role to play in safeguarding vulnerable young people from radicalisation and recruitment by extremist or terrorist groups.
Oldham Sixth Form College can help to prevent this from happening by:
- Educating students about the risks associated with extremism.
- Identifying and supporting students that might be vulnerable.
- Working alongside local agencies to prevent extremist groups from recruiting.
The College’s approach is intended to cover all forms of terrorism, including far right extremism and aspects of non-violent extremism. Oldham Sixth Form College has developed a Risk Assessment and Action Plan that outlines a clear approach to addressing these three priorities. This RA and AP framework is intended to achieve the following outcomes:
- Staff and students understand the nature of risk from extremism and how this might impact on the College.
- The potential risks within the College and externally are understood and, if relevant, identified.
- The College is able to respond appropriately to local, national and international events that may impact upon it.
- Ensure that measures are in place to minimise the potential for acts of violent extremism.
- British values are promoted to students in the College in a sensitive way.
- Ensure that plans are in place to respond to a threat or incident within the College.
The Risk Assessment and Action Plan will be updated termly by the College’s Prevent lead, Mark Crilly and the College’s Senior Leadership Team. This will include:
Training for staff and bespoke training for those in the front line.
Assemblies, tutorials and a curriculum focus for students.
A staff steering group and student feedback groups.
Contacts
If you have a safeguarding concern relating to the radicalisation or extremism of a student that attends this college, please contact us on 0161 287 8000 or safeguarding@osfc.ac.uk, during college hours. If this is an urgent matter and you believe a young person to be at immediate risk of harm, then please contact the emergency services without delay.
Guide for Parents on Online Radicalisation and Extremism
Parent Zone: Top tips for parents to manage their children’s online activity:
- No devices in the bedroom – keep their phone/tablet/games consoles and charger downstairs, so they aren’t tempted to stay up late playing games.
- Check out new games or websites they are asking about by going to www.commonsensemedia.org. This fantastic website will let you search for games, apps, and films to see what the content is and if it is age appropriate for your child.
- Remind your child that when they meet people online, they can’t be sure who they really are, so it’s not safe to share personal pictures and information with them.
- Remember to report any inappropriate content and/or comments directly to the social network, app. and/or gaming site it appears on and they will take it down and possibly ban the user from their site.
- Talk to your child about their favourite games, websites and apps to find out more about their online life. They will be more likely to come to you if they are worried about something they see or do online if you show an interest.
- For help setting parental controls on all devices go to www.parentzone.org.uk
