Selly Park Girls' School is committed to providing a secure environment for pupils, where learners feel safe and are kept safe. All adults at Selly Park recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility irrespective of the role they undertake or whether their role has direct contact or responsibility for learners or not. 

In adhering to this policy, and the procedures therein, staff and visitors will contribute to Selly Park’s delivery of the outcomes to all learners, as set out in s10 (2) of the Children’s Act 2004. This Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Safeguarding Policy is one element of our overall arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of all learners in line with our statutory duties set out at s175 of the Education Act 2002.

Our school’s Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Safeguarding Policy also draws upon the guidance contained in the DfE publication “Keeping Children Safe in Education, July 2015”, and specifically DCSF Resources “Learning Together to be Safe, “Prevent: Resources Guide”, “Tackling Extremism in the UK”, DfE’s “Teaching Approaches that help build resilience to Extremism among Young People” and Peter Clarke’s Report of July 2014.

‘The physical mental health and emotional well-being of children; the protection of children from harm and neglect; the education, training and recreation of children; the contribution made by them to society; and their social and economic well-being’.

Selly Park's Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Safeguarding Policy is available to download in the 'Policies' area of this website.

Objectives

The Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Policy is intended to provide a framework for dealing with issues relating to vulnerability, radicalisation and exposure to extreme views. We recognise that we are well placed to be able to identify safeguarding issues and this policy clearly sets out how the school will deal with such incidents and identifies how the curriculum and ethos underpins our actions.

The objectives are that:

• All governors, teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff will have an understanding of what radicalisation and extremism is and why we need to be vigilant in school.
• All governors, teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff will know what the school policy is on tackling extremism and radicalisation and will follow the policy guidance swiftly when issues arise.
• All pupils will understand the dangers of radicalisation and exposure to extremist views; building resilience against these and knowing what to do if they experience them.
• All parents/carers and pupils will know that the school has policies in place to keep pupils safe from harm and that the school regularly reviews its systems to ensure they are appropriate and effective.

Ethos and Practice

When operating this policy Selly Park School uses the following accepted Governmental definition of extremism which is:

‘Vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs; and/or calls for the death of members in our armed forces, whether in this country or oversees’.

There is no place for extremist views of any kind in our school, whether from internal, sources – pupils, staff or governors, or external sources – school community, external agencies or individuals. Our pupils see our school as a safe place where they can explore controversial issues safely and where our teachers encourage and facilitate this – we have a duty to ensure this happens.

As a school, we recognise that extremism and exposure to extremist materials and influences can lead to poor outcomes for pupils and so should be addressed as a safeguarding concern as set out in this policy. We also recognise that if we fail to challenge extremist views we are failing to protect our pupils.

Extremists of all persuasions aim to develop destructive relationships between different communities by promoting division, fear and mistrust of others based on ignorance or prejudice and thereby limiting the life chances of young people. Education is a powerful weapon against this; equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and critical thinking to challenge and debate in an informed way.

Therefore at Selly Park School we will provide a broad and balanced curriculum so that our pupils are enriched, understand and become tolerant of difference and diversity and also to ensure that they thrive, feel valued and not marginalised.

Furthermore at Selly Park School we are aware that young people can be exposed to extremist influences or prejudiced views from an early age which emanates from a variety of sources and media, including via the internet and at times pupils may themselves reflect or display views that may be discriminatory, prejudiced or extremist, including using derogatory language. As part of our whole school e-safety programme, we highlight the potential risks pupils may face in relation to online radicalisation and encourage students to report any concerns they may have for themselves or other students to a member of staff.

Any prejudice, discrimination or extremist views, including derogatory language, displayed by pupils or staff will always be challenged and where appropriate dealt with in line with our Code of Behaviour for staff.