How regional Prevent education coordinatorsco-ordinators can help providers

The Department for Education (DfE) regional Prevent coordinatorsco-ordinators support and improve Prevent delivery in each region of England. Their role includes implementing Prevent duty responsibilities across schools, further education (FE) and higher education (HE) settings, as well as any other Department for Education interests in the region.

RPECs responsibilities include: 

• helping education providers improve their Prevent delivery, including where monitoring bodies have identified concerns 

• supporting education providers with complex radicalisation or terrorism cases involving children, staff, young people or learners 

• engaging with education providers and police following incidents or terrorism-related incidents 

• virtual training and good practice webinars for education providers 

• risk-based training with a regional focus 

• providing regional communications and updates via newsletters  

• coordinatingco-ordinating activity across regional partners, including the police and local authorities, on the delivery of Prevent within their region 

Prevent regions

DfE regional Prevent education coordinatorsco-ordinators (RPECs) support and improve Prevent delivery in each region of England. These regions are: 

• North-West (including Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside) 
• North-East (including West Yorkshire, Cleveland, Durham, Humberside, Northumbria, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire) 
• West Midlands (including West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia) 
• East Midlands (including Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire) 
• South-East (including Thames Valley, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex) 
• South-West (including Avon &and Somerset, Devon & Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire) 
• East-of-England (including Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk) 
• London 

Virtual training sessions  

The RPECs offer large, virtual training sessions that are available to anyone working within an education setting in England. They focus on the implementation of Prevent and are designed primarily for those in dedicated safeguarding or Prevent roles. 

Prevent in education: training for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs)

This training package has been designed by DfE for designated safeguarding leads to understand their responsibilities and the importance of the Prevent duty.

Prevent in education: training for governors and trustees in schools

This training package has been designed by DfE for school governors to understand their responsibilities and the importance of the Prevent duty.

Regional newsletters and communications 

RPECs regularly share regional updates through their newsletters. Newsletters include information on: 

• regional trends and risk updates 

• new training, guidance and resources 

• updates or changes to the implementation of Prevent 

• relevant news, blogs or other content 

Further support with the implementation of Prevent in education 

Additional support and advice to help implement your Prevent responsibilities includes:  

• e-learning courses on Prevent from the Home Office 

• safeguarding learners susceptible to radicalisation guidance 

• the Department for Education’s Educate Against Hate website  

• Training and support materials for implementing Prevent in higher education (HE) 

Contacting your coordinatorco-ordinator

 Use the coordinatorco-ordinator contact form to: 

• learn more about training available in your region 
• sign-up to regional newsletters 
• ask for help with a complex radicalisation case 
• get help with finding a Prevent advocate to speak in a higher education setting
• learn more about understanding the local risk in your area  
• find out if a regional good practice forum is available in your area 

Reporting concerns  

Concerns about individuals

If you have concerns that an individual is susceptible to being drawn into terrorism and would like advice and support, follow the guidance on making a Prevent referral. 

Tell the police immediately, by calling 999, if you think a child, young person or adult learner: 

• is about to put themselves or others in immediate danger 
• appears to be involved in planning to carry out a criminal offence 

Concerns about educational providers

If you have a concern about extremism within an education provider, including allegations against staff or adverse external influences on a provider, use the reporting extremism form. 

If you are a HE provider and have experienced a ‘Prevent-related’ incident, you may need to report it to the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS have published guidance on Prevent-related serious incidents. 

If you are a new HE, FE or independent training provider, and would like access to regional good practice forums, please use the RPEC contact form.