Prevent Duty Awareness for Education Staff
Prevent duty training for education staff — spotting radicalisation risks, making proportionate referrals, and understanding Channel — grounded in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.
Who this is for
Teachers, lecturers, and support staff in schools, colleges, and universities subject to the Prevent duty
Learners will be able to
- Explain what the Prevent duty requires of education staff under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015
- Recognise the push and pull factors that can make a learner vulnerable to radicalisation, online and offline
- Distinguish curiosity, provocation, or protected speech from behaviour that genuinely warrants concern
- Follow the notice-check-share route to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and describe what a Channel panel does
Template prompt
“Create a Prevent duty compliance module for school and college staff covering the statutory duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, how radicalisation happens (push and pull factors, online grooming), recognising signs of vulnerability across ideologies including extreme right-wing and Islamist extremism, the notice-check-share referral route to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, what happens at a Channel panel, and promoting fundamental British values. Include scenario questions where staff judge whether a learner's behaviour warrants a safeguarding conversation, a referral, or neither.”
This prompt is fully editable. Customise it to match your audience, regulations, and learning objectives before generating.
What the 7 sections cover
- 1
Why Prevent sits inside safeguarding
Context on the section 26 duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism, framed as safeguarding vulnerable learners rather than surveillance.
- 2
How radicalisation happens
Push and pull factors — grievance, identity, belonging, online grooming — presented as a visual diagram of the radicalisation pathway.
- 3
Signs of vulnerability, not a checklist
Behavioural changes worth noticing across Islamist, extreme right-wing, and mixed or unclear ideologies, and why any single indicator on its own means very little.
- 4
Scenario: concern or curiosity?
Scenario questions judging classroom situations — a provocative essay, extremist memes shared in a group chat, sudden social withdrawal — and choosing between discuss, monitor, or refer.
- 5
Notice, check, share: making a referral
The internal route to the DSL, how concerns reach local authority Prevent teams or the police referral form, and why proportionality protects both the learner and the process.
- 6
Channel: support, not sanction
What a Channel panel is — a voluntary, consent-based, multi-agency support programme — and what participation does and does not mean for the person referred.
- 7
Scored knowledge check and key takeaways
Scored quiz covering the duty, vulnerability factors, and the referral route, closing with key takeaways and a pointer to your institution's Prevent lead.
Structure is representative — the generator adapts sections to your edited prompt and passes every package through interactivity and visual-density quality gates.
Topics covered
Make it yours
- Upload your safeguarding policy so the referral section names your actual Prevent lead, DSL, and local authority contact route.
- Ask for a higher education version if you are a university — the duty interacts with specific freedom of speech obligations that change the framing.
- Feed in findings from your latest Prevent risk assessment so scenarios reflect the ideologies and risks most relevant to your area.
Frequently asked questions
Is Prevent training mandatory for education staff?
The Prevent duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 requires specified authorities — including schools, colleges, and registered childcare providers — to have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism. The statutory guidance expects staff to be trained to recognise and refer concerns, and Ofsted considers how well schools meet the duty as part of safeguarding judgements.
How often should Prevent training be refreshed?
There is no fixed statutory interval for general staff, but the Prevent duty guidance and KCSIE both expect training to be kept up to date, and those with Prevent-specific responsibilities such as DSLs are advised to refresh theirs at least every two years. Many schools refresh Prevent awareness alongside their annual safeguarding training, and the free Prevent duty training courses on GOV.UK are a widely used baseline.
What is Channel?
Channel is a voluntary, confidential, multi-agency programme that supports people identified as at risk of being drawn into terrorism, placed on a statutory footing by the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. Participation requires consent, it is not a criminal sanction, and most Prevent referrals do not progress to Channel at all — they are closed or signposted to mainstream support instead.
Does the Prevent duty conflict with free speech?
The duty must be exercised alongside existing obligations, and higher education institutions must have particular regard to freedom of speech and academic freedom when complying. Good training stresses proportionality: exploring controversial ideas in class is not a referral trigger, and a Prevent referral is a safeguarding step, not an accusation.
Ready to make it yours?
Customise the prompt, generate a draft, then review the content and SCORM package before delivery.
Related templates
Handling a Safeguarding Disclosure
Branching scenario where school staff practise receiving a pupil's disclosure in line with KCSIE — listen, reassure, record, refer — with consequence feedback at every decision point.
Care Certificate Safeguarding Adults Assessment
Scored safeguarding adults assessment mapped to Care Certificate Standard 10 and the Care Act 2014, using realistic care home scenarios to evidence new starters' competence.
University Student Induction
First-year student induction covering academic integrity, library and support services, and study skills, with an interactive referencing quiz.