Prevent Policy

Radicalisation and Acts of Terrorism - The Counter Terrorism & Security Act (2015) and the Prevent Duty

Prevent is 1 of the 4 elements of CONTEST, the government's counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. This Act places a duty on specified authorities including Further and Higher Education, to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism (the Prevent Duty). 

Prevent is based on the premise that people being drawn into radicalisation and recruitment can be identified and then provided with support. Radicalisation is a process not an event. During that process behaviours as well as opinions are likely to change. These changes can be apparent to the families, friends, work colleagues and tutors of the person concerned.

This policy sets out the College’s approach to the Prevent Duty and applies to all students, tutors and staff of the College as well as to contractors, volunteers, interns, casual workers and consultants.

Keeping Children Safe in Education (2022) details the importance of education around RSHE, Educate Against Hate and developing knowledge and understanding of British Values. This, alongside the Human Rights Act (1998) and Equality Act (2010) have informed our Prevent Policy.

This policy is reviewed annually and the next full review date is August 2024.

Our Aims

The College is committed to maintaining a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community (including students, staff, tutors and visitors), encouraging debate and discussion, whilst seeking to safeguard those that are vulnerable.

The aims of this policy are:

• To promote and reinforce shared values including British Values; to create space for free and open debate; and to listen and support the learner voice
• To ensure student safety and that the College is free from bullying, harassment and discrimination
• To provide support for students who may be at risk of radicalisation and ensure appropriate sources of advice and guidance
• To ensure that students and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities in preventing violent extremism
• To correctly refer and record any issues concerning staff and students

The Act makes clear that duties under Prevent must be balanced with legal requirements in relation to freedom of speech and academic freedom, as enshrined in other legislation. Freedom of expression is itself an important means to challenge and prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

We hold regular reviews and training with all staff and learners.

Prevent is at the centre of the college’s ethos and is a regular hot topic for newsletters which are sent to our learners (both apprentices and other non-apprentice students). Expert guest speakers are invited to address staff, as part of the regular training programme. There is a vetting process in place to ensure that any staff/guest speakers are cleared for contact with learners.

Our Approach

Our approach to the Prevent Duty includes:

1. Leadership and Values

   To create and maintain a College ethos that upholds core values of shared responsibility and wellbeing for all students, staff and visitors whilst promoting respect, equality and diversity and understanding. This will be achieved through:

   • promoting our core values of respect, equality and diversity, democratic society, learner voice and participation
   • building staff and student understanding of the issues and confidence to deal with them
   • continuing to engage with our awarding bodies and partners

2. Teaching and Learning

   To provide a curriculum that promotes British Values, knowledge, skills and understanding, to build the resilience of students by undermining extremist ideology and supporting the learner voice. This will be achieved through:

   • embedding British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs (see Appendix I)
   • embedding equality, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing and community cohesion
   • promoting wider skill development such as social and emotional aspects of learning
   • a curriculum adapted to recognise local needs, challenge extremist narratives and promote universal rights
   • teaching, learning and assessment strategies that explore controversial issues in a way that promotes critical analysis and pro-social values
   • use of external programmes or groups to support learning while ensuring that the input supports College goals and values
   • encouraging active citizenship and learner voice.

3. Learner Support

   To ensure that staff are confident to take preventative and responsive steps, working with partner professionals. This will be achieved through:

   • establishing strong, effective and responsive student support services
   • listening to what is happening in the College
   • implementing anti-bullying strategies and challenging discriminatory behaviour
   • recognising factors that may increase risk to a student, i.e. vulnerability, disadvantage or hardship, and implementing early risk management strategies
   • ensuring that students and staff know how to access support in the College
   • supporting students with problem solving and repair of harm
   • supporting ‘at risk’ students through safeguarding and crime prevention processes
   • focusing on narrowing the attainment gap between students
   • working collaboratively to promote support for students across all areas of the College, including those students studying by online learning.

Raising Concerns

Any student or member of staff may become concerned that an individual within the College is at risk of being drawn into terrorism. Concerns can be about terrorism, radicalisation and violent extremism, or where individuals are at risk of moving from extremist (albeit legal) groups into terrorist-related activity.

Staff and students are encouraged to be mindful of conduct by individuals within the College that may indicate that they are at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to act appropriately to balance supporting those individuals while safeguarding others within the College and beyond.

Should you have concerns, raise these with the Safe and Well Team:

• Call: +44 (0)737 589 2864 or
• Email: safeandwell@marketingcollege.com
• Write to: Safe and Well Team, Cambridge Marketing College, Cygnus Business Park, Middlewatch, Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, CB24 4AA

All concerns made in this way will be treated sensitively, securely and, so far as possible, confidentially. If you are unsure whether to raise a concern under this policy, you are encouraged to speak to your tutor.

If there is an immediate threat to any individual or property, you should notify the police by calling 999, as well as advising the Safe and Well Team.

Otherwise, concerns will be considered by your Tutor who may refer the issue on to the Operations and Finance Director. Following this, internal action may be taken to provide appropriate support. Serious concerns, will be referred to the Chief Executive and College Governor, and may then be subject to an external referral to key Prevent partners. Concerns will only be shared externally where there is a clear and compelling requirement to do so.

A confidential record of action taken under this policy, including where it has been necessary to refer a concern externally, will be retained. All information will be held and processed in accordance with GDPR.

Roles and Responsibilities

Whilst this is a standalone policy, it is integral to our Safeguarding Policy and should be applied as an extension to the College’s current and established safeguarding procedures.

The Board

All Board Members have a legal responsibility under the Prevent Duty to undertake training in the Prevent Duty. Additionally, the Board must ensure that:

• All College staff have undertaken training in the Prevent Duty – Prevent training is included as a regular item in our annual Team Training Plan and all new staff will receive Prevent training as part of their induction programme
• All College staff are aware of when it is appropriate to refer concerns about students, learners or colleagues to the Safeguarding Officer
• All College staff exemplify British Values
• Policies and procedures to implement the Prevent Duty are in place and acted on where appropriate.

Prevent Lead for the College

The Operations and Finance Director is the Prevent Lead and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), with responsibility for ensuring that our Prevent Strategy is implemented across the College and that any concerns are shared with the relevant organisations, in order to minimise the risk of our students becoming involved with terrorism.

All Staff

All staff at the College have a responsibility to:

• Create and support an ethos that upholds the College’s mission, vision and values including British Values, to create an environment of respect, equality and diversity and inclusion
• Attend Prevent training in order to have the skills to recognise those who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, involved in violent or non-violent extremism, and to know the appropriate action to take if they have concerns
• Report any concerns around extremism or radicalisation via the safeguarding reporting channels
• Report and remove any literature displayed around the college and our training venues that could cause offense or promote extremist views
• Support the development of staff and student understanding of the issues around extremism and radicalisation through activities such as training, awareness campaigns and tutorials

Managing Risks and Responding to Events

The College will ensure that it monitors risks and is ready to deal appropriately with issues which arise through the following:

• Understanding the nature of threat from violent extremism and how this may impact directly and indirectly on the College
• Identifying, understanding and managing potential risks within the College from external influences
• Responding appropriately to events reported via local, national or international news that may impact on students and communities
• Ensuring plans are in place to minimise the potential for acts of violent or non-violent extremism within the College
• Ensuring measures are in place to respond appropriately to a threat or incident within the College
• External speakers – many classes will have a guest speaker during the term, and we invite speakers to conferences. All speakers are vetted to assess their subject matter by the relevant tutor and named conference organiser
• IT policies – our learners access their learning materials from our Learning Zone, and we control the content. However, other websites are accessed by their employers’ IT systems or their own IT, and as such CMC cannot control the content

Should a risk be identified within a member of the admin or teaching team, for example, a change in behaviour, that team member will be invited to an urgent meeting, and if a risk exists, then one to one support will be offered, following the process on the attached flow chart.

Appendix 1: Promoting British Values at Cambridge Marketing College

Democracy

The College is affiliated to the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Chartered Institute of Public Relations, both of which are membership organisations with elected officials. Over 95% of our studying students are members of one or the other of these institutes, which require members to abide by a published code of conduct, including requirements for fair dealing, honesty and integrity.

The Rule of Law

All staff and students are treated fairly and are offered the chance to have any concerns investigated and heard by senior management. Staff and tutors are empowered to try to settle complaints to mutual satisfaction, and the senior management team are informed of all complaints and outcomes.

Individual Liberty

The College community are free to express themselves. We encourage the values of Freedom of Speech without causing offence or distress to others. Debate and discussion are encouraged within the classroom and online workshops. Our Code of Conduct states:

• Be professional – abusive, threatening or otherwise offensive language or actions will be not be tolerated and will be reported, leading to serious penalties including exclusion
• Be considerate – academic learning does and should provoke us to think and disagree. It does not however permit anyone to insult, disrespect or threaten others. Do not interrupt the class, challenge others rudely, monopolise discussions or mock others.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs

The College values diversity and respect for each other. We will not tolerate prejudice, discrimination or harassment. Through promoting marketing case studies to all students in our monthly Second Tuesday newsletter and also via social media, blogs and in class, we encourage an understanding and exploration of the importance of both Marketing and Business to reflect a range of views, backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. Examples may be seen on request.

Faith rooms are not provided, as many of our learners are distance learning, whilst others attend 2-hour evening classes (6 to 8pm). For full day courses, tutors are requested to be sympathetic to the requirements for prayer times should any student require this. This is offered privately, sympathetically and on an ad-hoc basis as it affects only a minority of students. We do not teach public classes on a Friday. Public classes in our international venues (e.g. Cairo and Dubai) are scheduled to avoid Fridays or other Holy days.

Appendix 2 FE/HE Regional Prevent Co-ordinators

CMC has a relationship with the East of England Prevent Co-ordinator and attends briefings and receives updates.

Head of the FE/HE regional delivery networks (Prevent and Counter-Extremism)
Contact: Chris Rowell
Email: chris.rowell@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 07384 872518

North East and Yorkshire
Contact: Chris Sybenga
Email: chris.sybenga@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 07384 456640

North West
Contact: Nigel Lund
Email: nigel.lund@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 07384 452146

West Midlands
Contact: Hifsa Haroon Iqbal
Email: Hifsa.haroon-iqbal@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 07785 654148

East Midlands
Contact: Sam Slack
Email: sam.slack@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 07384 452156

Eastern England
Contact: Dave Layton-Scott
Email: david.layton-scott@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 07384 452155

South West
Contact: Salam Arabi-Katbi
Email: salam.katbi@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 07824 083307

London
Contact: Jennie Fisher
Email: jennie.fisher@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 07880 469588