Last Updated: January 25, 2024
It is the policy of the London School of Emerging Technology (LSET) to safeguard and promote the welfare of all its students and apprentices. All members of staff are aware that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, regardless of the role they perform or whether they have direct contact or responsibility for students or apprentices.
In today’s society, safeguarding against radicalisation and extremism is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability. The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework for dealing with issues relating to vulnerability, radicalisation, and exposure to extremist views, along with our beliefs, strategies, and procedures to protect vulnerable individuals from being radicalised or exposed to extremist views, by identifying them and providing them with timely assistance.
This policy should also be read in conjunction with the following national guidelines;
This policy aims to ensure that all staff members are fully engaged in being vigilant about radicalisation; that they overcome professional disbelief that such issues will not occur here; and that we work together with other professional bodies and agencies to protect our students.
Learning Support Practitioners, Progress Tutors, Link Tutors, Assessors, and Student Support & Safeguarding Officers are ideally positioned to recognise changes in student behaviour and may be the first point of contact when receiving a disclosure. All staff members should be aware of how they can report concerns and whom they should contact.
What is Radicalisation?
It is defined as the act or process of making someone more radical or favouring extreme or fundamental changes in political, economic, social, or institutional conditions.
What is Extremism?
The government has defined extremism in the Prevent Strategy as: “vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.” This also includes calls for the death of members of the British armed forces
What are British Values?
British values are defined as “democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs”; institutions are expected to encourage students to respect other people with particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.
There are a number of behaviours which may indicate someone is at risk of being radicalised or exposed to extreme views.
These include;
Our belief is that it is possible to intervene in order to protect vulnerable individuals. It is imperative to intervene. Employees should be able to challenge, intervene, and ensure that safeguarding practices are based on the most up-to-date guidance and best practice practise.
LSET does not tolerate extremist views of any kind, whether they come from internal sources – students, apprentices, staff or governors – or external sources – the LSET community, external agencies or individuals. The purpose of this policy is not to restrict freedom of speech, but to allow students to express their views in a way that shows an understanding of those with differing views and beliefs. This policy acknowledges that extremism and exposure to extremist materials and influences can negatively impact students and should be addressed as a safeguarding concern. Additionally, we recognise that we are failing to protect our students if we do not challenge the promotion or expression of extremist views.
We will work to eradicate myths and assumptions that can lead to the alienation and disempowerment of some young people, particularly when the approaches they experience elsewhere hinder them from challenging or questioning radical influences, and this guidance should be provided via tutorials.
All of our support and approaches will be designed to build resilience to extremism and provide a positive sense of identity to our students and apprentices by developing critical thinking skills. Our organisation will develop strategies and develop staff training to ensure that all of its employees are capable of recognising extremism and being able to challenge it effectively. It is our policy to challenge prejudice, discrimination, or extremist views, including derogatory language, displayed by students or staff, and to deal with them in accordance with our disciplinary policies for students, apprentices, and staff as appropriate. In order to safeguard individuals considered vulnerable to extremism and radicalisation, LSET will closely follow any local procedures and criteria as determined by the local authorities.
To enrich students’ experience at LSET, we encourage the use of external visitors or guest speakers. However, we will ensure that any external agencies, individuals, or speakers who we engage to provide such opportunities or experiences for our students are thoroughly vetted.
In cases where staff judges the content of a presentation or discussion led by an external speaker to be inappropriate and may promote extremist activity, they will intervene. All external visitors and guest speakers must be supervised at all times by a member of the LSET staff. LSET facilities may be used by external visitors or guest speakers on occasion without supervision. When this occurs, staff are required to follow the vetting and risk assessment guidelines outlined in the External Speakers Policy.
LSET’s Principal Instructor is the named contact in relation to PREVENT. Email should be sent to [email protected] addressing to him. A member of staff should be contacted as soon as possible if students or apprentices have concerns about extremism or radicalisation.
Appropriate trainings will be provided to all the LSET’s staff.
It is expected that all recruitment arrangements for permanent and temporary staff (including supply and agency workers) at LSET will follow guidelines for safer recruitment best practices in educational settings. This will include but is not limited to, ensuring that DBS checks are always conducted at the appropriate level, that references are always obtained and checked, and the creation of a single central record of such background checks. As part of our efforts to promote safe recruitment practices and sound employment practices, we will deny opportunities for inappropriate recruitment or advancement. To avoid undue influence on the character and ethos of LSET, we will keep an eye out for individuals seeking to gain positions within our institution. We are aware that such individuals seek to limit the opportunities available to our students, thereby exposing them to extremist views and radicalisation. Therefore, by adhering to safer recruitment best practices and by establishing a culture of vigilance within LSET and the staff team, we will minimise the potential for extremist views to take hold.