The Prevent Duty and Controversial Issues: creating a curriculum response through Citizenship

'The Prevent Duty and Controversial Issues: creating a curriculum response through Citizenship' is a new publication that offers guidance to schools and teachers as they consider and develop their response to the Prevent Duty.

There are also two shorter summary versions of the guidance, one designed for school leaders and governors, and one aimed at teachers. Each contains a series of checklist questions to help schools consider, plan and evaluate their provision. The full guidance includes a comprehensive look at various pedagogical approaches to teaching sensitive and controversial issues and a list of useful resources.

Download the guidance here:

Full Guidance for teachers

Summary Guidance for teachers

Summary Guidance for Heads, Senior Leaders and Governors

The guidance aims to help teachers working in primary and secondary education to:

consider how to best meet the requirements of the Prevent Duty and be clear about the purpose and role of the Citizenship curriculum and the teacher in this context

develop understanding of the Citizenship pedagogical tools available to help them address Prevent as a controversial issue

feel more confident in planning teaching and learning such as to develop resilience and critical thinking and that is appropriate within the context of their school and their pupils’ diverse needs and backgrounds

be informed about what to do if they find a pupil is at risk of being draw into terrorism or extremist behaviour.

To illustrate the principles set out in this guidance we are working with schools on The ACT Building Resilience Project, which involves teachers in schools developing innovative teaching strategies to build children's criticality and resilience to extremism and being drawn into terrorism. Find out more about the project, see the teachers' schemes of work, lesson plans and resources, and hear them talk about their work

If you are looking for training in Prevent, 'British Values', SMSC and Citizenship, please contact ACT for more information

These publications have been written and developed by the Expert Subject Advisory Group for Citizenship and published by the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT).

Resource type:

Useful document

Community cohesion

Respecting difference: religions & beliefs

Democratic values

Freedoms: speech, movement, religious expression

Rule of law

Analysing information

Arguing a case

Discussing & debating

Empathising with others

Handling sensitive & controversial issues