Two new entries on a list school safeguarding leads read every term
What happened
On 2 October 2026, the Department for Education updated its practical guidance on the Prevent duty for education settings in England. The guidance is called 'The Prevent duty: safeguarding learners susceptible to radicalisation'. It is written for designated safeguarding leads and other staff with safeguarding responsibilities, in schools, colleges and further education independent training provider settings. The update was specific. According to the department's own change note, it added guidance on weaponry or explosives fixation, and on antisemitism, to the 'Concerning behaviours' section. That section is the part of the guidance that helps staff recognise when something they have noticed might need a referral. The Prevent duty itself is not new. It is a statutory duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. It requires schools, colleges and other specified bodies to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. In practice, for a school, it means being alert to the risk of extremist ideology or radicalisation, knowing how to make a referral, and preparing staff to respond effectively so that a young person who may be being exploited by radicalising influences gets support. It is worth being precise about the status of this particular document. The statutory duty is mandatory. This practical guidance is advice on how to meet it. The department says settings should use it to supplement their existing safeguarding policies, and that following this specific guidance is not itself mandatory.
Why this matters
Two additions to a list in a guidance document does not sound like news. For the people who use that list, it is. A designated safeguarding lead in a secondary school might deal with dozens of concerns in a term. Most are nothing to do with radicalisation. The difficult judgement is the one in the middle - a pupil whose interests have narrowed, whose language has changed, who has become preoccupied with something that worries a teacher but does not obviously fit anything. The 'concerning behaviours' section exists for exactly that judgement. What is on the list shapes what staff notice and what they feel able to raise. The first addition, fixation on weaponry or explosives, reflects a pattern that counter-terrorism policing and Prevent professionals have been describing for several years: young people, often teenage boys, whose concerning behaviour centres on violence and weapons themselves rather than on a clear political or religious ideology. That pattern has been hard for a system built around recognising ideologies to handle. Naming it in guidance for schools helps staff raise it without having to first decide what the young person believes. The second addition, antisemitism, speaks for itself in a period when antisemitic incidents in the UK have been recorded at high levels by monitoring organisations. The broader reason this matters to families: Prevent is one of the most misunderstood parts of school safeguarding. A great many parents believe a referral means their child is being treated as a criminal. It does not, and knowing what it actually involves is worth more than any amount of worry.
What the evidence actually says
Let us be clear about what is and is not established here. **What is certain.** The DfE updated this guidance on 2 October 2026. The change added material on weaponry or explosives fixation and on antisemitism to the 'Concerning behaviours' section. The Prevent duty is statutory under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. This practical guidance supplements existing safeguarding policies and is not in itself mandatory. **What this guidance does not do.** It does not create a new legal duty. It does not change the referral process. It does not add a reporting requirement for schools. It is a change to the descriptive material that helps staff spot concerns. **What a Prevent referral actually is.** This is the part most worth understanding. A referral goes to the local authority and police for assessment. Most referrals are assessed and closed with no further action, or are redirected to other support such as mental health services, education support or social care. A smaller number are considered by a multi-agency panel called Channel, which offers voluntary support. Channel support requires consent - for a child, the consent of a parent or guardian. It is not a criminal process and it does not create a criminal record. **What the published statistics show.** The Home Office publishes annual statistics on referrals to Prevent. Those figures have consistently shown that the education sector is the largest single source of referrals, and that the majority of referrals do not proceed to Channel. If you want the numbers for a particular year, the Home Office release is the place to look rather than any secondary account. **A fair criticism to acknowledge.** Prevent has been the subject of sustained debate, including concerns from some communities and civil liberties organisations about disproportionate referrals and the effect on trust between pupils and teachers. The programme has been independently reviewed more than once. Describing what the guidance says is not the same as settling that argument, and this article does not try to.
Practical advice
**If you are a parent or carer:** Know who your school's designated safeguarding lead is. Every school has one, and their name should be in the school's safeguarding policy, which must be published on the school website. If you are worried about something your child is seeing or saying online, you can raise it with the school before it becomes anything. You do not need to be certain, and raising a worry is not making an accusation. If your child is referred, ask what happens next and ask what the options are. Ask specifically whether Channel is being considered, and remember that Channel support is voluntary and needs your consent. You can also contact ACT Early, the national safeguarding advice line run for families worried about someone being drawn into extremism, on 0800 011 3764. It is confidential, and it is designed for exactly the situation where you are not sure whether something is serious. **If you work in a school or college:** Re-read the 'Concerning behaviours' section. The two additions are the point of the update and reading the old version will not show them. Check that your setting's safeguarding policy references the current version of the guidance. Remember that a concern about weapons or explosives fixation can be raised without identifying an ideology. That is specifically what the addition is for. **For everyone:** if you believe there is an immediate risk to life, call 999. Prevent is for concerns that are not emergencies.
What to know
The Department for Education updated its Prevent duty practical guidance for schools, colleges and FE independent training providers in England on 2 October 2026. The change added weaponry or explosives fixation, and antisemitism, to the 'Concerning behaviours' section. The Prevent duty is statutory under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. This guidance explains how to meet it and supplements existing safeguarding policies; following it is not itself mandatory. The weapons fixation addition reflects a well-described pattern of young people whose concerning behaviour centres on violence rather than a clear ideology. It allows staff to raise a concern without first having to decide what someone believes. A Prevent referral is a safeguarding referral, not a criminal one. Most are closed or redirected to other support. Channel support is voluntary and needs consent. The most useful thing a parent can do with this information is to find out who their school's designated safeguarding lead is, before they ever need to know. The second most useful is to save the ACT Early number: 0800 011 3764. Sources: Department for Education, 'The Prevent duty: safeguarding learners susceptible to radicalisation', updated 2 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-prevent-duty-safeguarding-learners-susceptible-to-radicalisation ; Home Office, 'Prevent duty guidance', accessed 4 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance ; Department for Education, 'Keeping children safe in education', accessed 4 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 This article is for general information and does not replace advice from your child's school, a safeguarding professional, or the police. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Nothing in this article is medical advice, and it does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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