A new website is being launched by the Government to help parents protect children from ‘radical views’.
The Educate against Hate site draws on resources from charities including NSPCC and Childnet as well as Government guidance. The announcement came as education secretary Nicky Morgan revealed there had been a ‘significant escalation’ of Ofsted investigations into unregistered, illegal independent schools.
She said there would be a new, tougher approach to prosecuting such schools and called on councils to share any concerns they have with Ofsted and to improve the flow of information between schools and local government.
‘Educate Against Hate will provide teachers and parents with the expertise they need to challenge radical views and keep their children safe. Our tougher stand against illegal schools will help prevent children from falling under the grasp of extremists.
‘And by improving intelligence on where children go when they deregister from schools we will help prevent future incidents of young, promising children falling under the spell of twisted ideologies.’
The website, which is yet to go live, was officially launched at Bethnal Green Academy. Principal Mark Keary said: ‘Educators have a crucial role to play in protecting children from the threat of radical views and we are delighted to be supporting the launch of the Educate Against Hate website – a vital tool for schools and parents concerned about radicalisation.
‘We will continue to draw on our experiences to help inform and shape policy, share best practice and work collaboratively with colleagues to find solutions to protect and keep our children safe from harm.’