Prevent in schools after the Trojan Horse Affair

This chapter will consider the impact of the Prevent strategy, placed on a statutory footing by Part 5 of the Counter-terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA), on freedom of expression in schools.1 The duty under Part 5 s26 requires schools2 to have ‘due regard’ to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism when carrying out their functions. Guidance fleshing out the statutory duty directs schools as to what steps they should take to fulfil this duty (s29(2) CTSA).3 This Guidance states that schools should have regard in particular to disrupting promoters of terrorism, to identify and support those at risk of being drawn to terrorism, and to prevent the promulgation to school pupils of extremist ideology that could be linked to drawing them into terrorism.4