Government's PREVENT strategy in primary schools

Well said, thatbags.

Iam, I know what you mean. The tolerance I was talking about was of more traditionally British practices such as not segregating girls and boys in school, as such like. The people who stick to more primitive old-fashioned ideas that this country has left behind are the ones who need to learn tolerance.

Thank you for your responses.

I have a concern that this policy is inappropriate for primary school children, unless they are in a particularly vulnerable group or area. My DGC are going to be subject to this policy and the school intends to "talk to all the children about extremism" according to the letter that parents have received. These could be 4 year olds in reception in a rural primary school.

I have looked at the websites of several schools and their approach is to generally foster the children's self-respect, to foster multiculturalism and to make sure that proper web filters are in place, rather than talk about it explicitly.

I can see where the government is coming from with this policy, especially in view of Iam's post above, but in the context of a small rural primary where there are no ethnic minorities (apart from a few E Europeans) it does seem inappropriate to be introducing the children to such dark ideas when they are so small.

The problem is compounded by the fact that the school in question has made some dubious (well - frankly crass) judgements when talking with the children about current affairs and this has caused some distress for some of the children, particularly the younger ones.

I've been following the trojan horse school tribunal that's continuing and found my tolerance levels seriously tested. Girls kept separate, sex education that included information saying wives would be smitten if they refused sex when their husbands wanted it. This at a primary school in England.

If it counters intolerant attitudes to other people, I'm all for it. There has been a lot of question-asking about what counts as "British values"; it occurred to me today that the most important one is tolerance of beliefs and behaviour that you may not like but which actually do no-one any harm.

I heard this discussed on the news and on a phone in recently. There was an interview with a head teacher whose school had made 3 referrals under the Prevent strategy, in recent months. She sounded very sensible and I felt the interviewer started from the position that it's just wrong to have this strategy in primary schools.
One of the examples she gave was of a year 6 boy who staff had become concerned about because of changing attitudes. On a school residential he'd become angry there wasn't a prayer room and persistently told girls to keep their head covering in place, when some had removed head covering for games etc. I may be wrong but my impression was school had concerns about the Mosque he attended and about him becoming 'radicalised'.
I don't know enough about it to reach firm conclusions but my initial response is that current safeguarding policies and procedures already cover the emotional welfare of children. However, we've had a number of incidents where children have been influenced by their parents or taken to Syria so maybe the Prevent strategy is needed.

It's to do with anti terrorism and the prevention of radicalisation.
So Google tells me.

No idea but on Today one day this week there was a look at it in Birmingham and it seems highly inappropriate for such small children.

Sorry, Luckygirl, I don't understand this. What is the PREVENT strategy?