Prevent Duty

Merstham Park School is committed to providing a secure environment for all of our students,
staff and stakeholders. The current threat from terrorism & extremism in the United Kingdom
can involve the exploitation of vulnerable people, including children, young people and vulnerable
adults to involve them in terrorism or activity in support of terrorism.

Since 2010, when the Government published the Prevent Strategy, there has been an awareness
of the specific need to safeguard children, young people and families from violent extremism.
There have been several occasions both locally and nationally in which extremist groups have
attempted to radicalise vulnerable children and young people to hold extreme views including
views justifying political, religious, sexist or racist violence, or to steer them into a rigid and narrow
ideology that is intolerant of diversity and leaves them vulnerable to future radicalisation.

Merstham Park School values freedom of speech and the expression of beliefs / ideology as
fundamental rights underpinning our society’s values. Both students and teachers have the right
to speak freely and voice their opinions. However, freedom comes with responsibility and free
speech that is designed to manipulate the vulnerable or that leads to violence and harm of others
goes against the moral principles in which freedom of speech is valued. Free speech is not an
unqualified privilege; it is subject to laws and policies governing equality, human rights,
community safety and community cohesion.

The current threat from terrorism in the United Kingdom may include the exploitation of
vulnerable people, to involve them in terrorism or in activity in support of extremism and
terrorism. The normalisation of extreme views may also make children and young people
vulnerable to future manipulation and exploitation. Merstham Park School is clear that this
exploitation and radicalisation should be viewed as a safeguarding concern.

Please read the guidance for schools and childcare providers on preventing children and young people from being drawn into terrorism here.