Safeguarding for schools and teachers

Examples of hate crime and terrorist attacks are rising in the UK and Europe. In 2015-2016, there were 7,631 referrals to the Prevention programme, which aims to stop people being drawn into terrorism. A quarter of these referrals were under-15s. Never before has there been a greater need for schools to present a clear narrative to promote community cohesion. Schools and teachers need resources to help protect and safeguard young people from radical ideas.

Andrew Moffat MBE offers advice for parents and schools on how to talk to children about terrorism. Reclaiming Radical Ideas in Schools uniquely offers strategies for schools to work with parents and children together in school-based workshops, to reduce the risk of radicalization. Moffat, Assistant Head Teacher at Parkfield Community School, offers strategies and lesson plans that have been tried and tested in his inner-city school in Birmingham.

Moffat says, “When we piloted these workshops in my own school, we got an overwhelmingly positive response from our parent community. Children loved working on the activities with their parents and the parents engaged with us in discussions about community cohesion and the importance of everyone knowing they belong. The workshops were a fantastic way to develop the schools’ 'No Outsiders' thread and take the messages in to the community.”

Building the resilience of young people and the promotion of fundamental British values is at the heart of preventing radicalization. By promoting and celebrating ideas of equality and community cohesion as opposed to those of division and separation, ‘radical ideas can be reclaimed’.

Meeting the SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual, Cultural) needs faced by schools in the 21st Century, Reclaiming Radical Ideas in Schools is an essential book for schools, parents, and those concerned with the radicalization of young people.