Prevent: Our Values, Our Community — Teacher Handbook KS2

⚠️ Teacher note — read before delivering this lesson

At KS2, the Prevent programme is delivered through values-based education rather than explicit discussion of terrorism or extremism. Pupil-facing materials use age-appropriate language only. This handbook uses professional terminology so you have the full statutory context. If any pupil makes a disclosure during this lesson that raises a safeguarding or Prevent concern, follow your school's procedures and refer to your DSL immediately. Do not attempt to investigate or manage the concern yourself.

Lesson Overview

Duration	45 minutes (adaptable to 30 or 60 minutes — see notes)
Key Stage	KS2 (Years 3–6, Ages 7–11)
Subject Links	PSHE, Citizenship, Computing (online safety), RSE, Assemblies
Resources Needed	Pupil handout, quiz, presentation slides, whiteboard/projector, scenario cards (printable from handout)
Curriculum Links	PSHE Association Programme of Study (KS2 — Living in the Wider World); RSE statutory guidance (DfE 2019) — relationships and being safe online; National Curriculum Citizenship — democracy and community
Statutory Duty	Schools are required under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, s.26, and Prevent Duty Guidance 2023, to actively promote Fundamental British Values (FBV) and have due regard to the need to prevent pupils from being drawn into harmful ideologies. At KS2 this is primarily discharged through values education and SMSC development.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will be able to:

Name and explain the five Fundamental British Values using age-appropriate examples
Explain why shared values matter for a fair and safe community
Recognise that some people online or in real life might try to make others believe unfair or unkind things about other groups of people
Identify trusted adults in school and at home and know that they can always talk to them if something worries them
Demonstrate that it is always safe and right to speak to a trusted adult if something makes them feel uncomfortable — online or in person

The Statutory Framework — Teacher Background

What the law requires at KS2

Legislation / Guidance	What it means for your KS2 classroom
Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA), s.26	Creates the Prevent Duty: all schools must have "due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism." At KS2, this is primarily met through active promotion of Fundamental British Values throughout the curriculum and school culture.
Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales 2023 (Home Office)	Statutory guidance requiring schools to: actively promote FBV, deliver appropriate PSHE, maintain IT filtering and monitoring, ensure staff receive Prevent awareness training, and have clear referral pathways via the DSL.
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 (KCSIE 2025, DfE)	Statutory guidance requiring all staff to understand that Prevent is a safeguarding duty; DSLs to know the Channel referral process; all schools to have a named Prevent lead (usually the DSL or headteacher).
Education Act 2002, s.78	Requires schools to promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social, and cultural (SMSC) development — the statutory foundation for embedding FBV in school life and curriculum at all key stages.
DfE Guidance — Promoting Fundamental British Values (2014, updated)	Sets out the five FBVs that all maintained schools must actively promote: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Fundamental British Values — The Five Values

Schools are legally required to actively promote (not merely not undermine) these five values. At KS2, they should be embedded in everyday school culture, assemblies, and the PSHE curriculum — not just delivered as a one-off lesson.

🗳️ Democracy

Everyone's voice matters. We make decisions together fairly. We listen even when we disagree.

⚖️ The Rule of Law

Rules and laws are there to keep everyone safe. They apply to everyone equally — including adults.

🕊️ Individual Liberty

We can make our own choices about our lives within the law. We have the right to be different.

🤝 Mutual Respect

We treat everyone with kindness and dignity, even people who are very different from us.

🌍 Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

We accept that people believe different things and practise different faiths. We don't have to agree with everyone, but we treat them with respect.

Why This Matters at KS2 — Teacher Context

Young people can be exposed to harmful or divisive content at any age — including through gaming platforms, YouTube, TikTok, and messaging apps that are commonly used by primary-age children. Harmful ideologies do not wait for secondary school.

The most effective Prevent education at KS2 is preventative and values-based — building the resilience, critical thinking, and trusted adult relationships that protect children before they encounter harmful content. This lesson is designed to do exactly that, without exposing pupils to age-inappropriate material.

Warning signs for teachers — using professional Prevent language

The following are indicators that a primary-age pupil may need additional support. Report any concerns to your DSL — do not investigate independently.

Expressed views that dehumanise or express hatred towards a specific group (religious, ethnic, political, etc.) — particularly if language appears to come from an adult or online source
Sudden change in friendship group or withdrawal from previous social activities
Expressing interest in or glorifying violence — in writing, drawing, or verbal expression
Sharing content online (or describing having seen content) that portrays harm to specific groups positively
A parent or family member expressing extremist views in conversations the child reports
Significant change in attitude towards specific communities, religions, or nationalities

Any concern should be reported to the DSL, who will decide whether a Prevent referral via the local authority or police Prevent team is appropriate.

Lesson Plan — 45 Minutes

5 mins Starter — Fair or Unfair?

Display a series of statements on the board. Pupils vote by standing up (fair) or sitting down (unfair), or using thumbs up/down. No right answers are announced yet — just record the class responses to revisit at the end. Example statements:

"In our class, everyone should get a vote on the class pet." (Fair — democracy)
"Rules only apply to some people, not everyone." (Unfair — rule of law)
"It's okay to say mean things about people from a different country." (Unfair — mutual respect)
"You should be allowed to celebrate your own festivals and traditions." (Fair — individual liberty and tolerance)
"Someone is wrong just because they believe something different from you." (Unfair — tolerance)

10 mins Our Five School Values (Input)

Use the presentation slides to introduce the five Fundamental British Values with child-friendly language, examples from school life, and images. For each value ask: "Can you think of a time when we used this value in our school?" Draw out examples from school council, class rules, sports day, Remembrance, or harvest festivals. Emphasise: these values protect everyone — including pupils who are different from each other.

10 mins Our Class Charter — Group Activity

In groups of 3–4, pupils design a "Class Charter" — five rules for their classroom that reflect each of the five values. Groups present their rule for one value each. Collate into a class charter on the board. This gives pupils ownership over values as a lived experience, not an abstract concept. Optional: create a display or booklet from the charter to keep in the classroom.

10 mins Online Safety Scenarios — What Would You Do?

Distribute pupil handout scenario cards. In pairs, pupils read each scenario and decide: (a) Does this feel right or wrong? (b) Who would you tell? Scenarios are age-appropriate and focus on recognising unkind or unfair ideas online and offline, without naming extremism explicitly. Examples:

Scenario A: A game you play online has a chat where someone keeps saying really mean things about a group of people. You don't know who it is. What do you do?
Scenario B: Your friend says a video they watched online says all people from [country] are bad and dangerous. You're not sure that's right. What do you say or do?
Scenario C: Someone you don't know messages you and says the rules at your school are unfair and you shouldn't have to follow them. What do you do?

Key message: If something feels wrong or unkind, you can always tell a trusted adult — a teacher, a parent, or another trusted grown-up. You will never be in trouble for asking for help.

10 mins Plenary — Revisiting the Starter and Exit Ticket

Return to the starter statements and re-vote. Discuss whether anyone changed their mind and why. Then pupils complete the exit ticket on the handout (three questions). Collect exit tickets and review for any concerning responses before the next lesson. No names are required on exit tickets to allow pupils to respond honestly.

⚠️ Safeguarding Considerations — Mandatory Reading

Language boundary: Do not use the words "terrorism", "extremism", or "radicalisation" when talking directly to KS2 pupils. These concepts are introduced through values language and scenario-based learning only.
Disclosure during lesson: If a pupil makes a disclosure that raises a concern during any scenario or discussion, follow your school's safeguarding procedures immediately. Refer to your DSL. Do not attempt to explore or investigate the concern in the classroom setting.
Exit ticket review: All exit tickets must be reviewed by the teacher (and DSL if anything is concerning) before the following lesson. Pupils may disclose worries through written activities that they would not express verbally.
Family context: Some pupils may live in households where extremist views are held. This lesson may surface concerns that originate at home. Refer any such concerns to the DSL who will consider a Prevent referral and/or early help response.
Inclusivity: The scenarios and values discussion must not single out any community, religion, or nationality. All examples should be neutral and inclusive.
KCSIE 2025 note: All school staff have a Prevent awareness duty. If you have not completed WRAP (Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent) training, speak to your DSL or Prevent lead to arrange it.

Differentiation

Group	Approach
Higher ability (Year 5–6)	Ask pupils to write a paragraph explaining why each FBV is important, using a real example from school, local, or national life. Challenge: "What would our school look like if we didn't have these values?"
Lower ability / Year 3–4	Provide a word bank and visual glossary on the handout. Use the matching activity (value to child-friendly definition) as the main written task. Focus on 3 values rather than all 5 if time is limited.
SEND / EAL	Pre-teach the five values using visual prompts. Pair with a reading partner for handout activities. Allow verbal responses for exit ticket where written response is a barrier. Use translated handout if available in your setting.
Any pupil known to be at risk	Consult with your DSL before delivering the lesson. Adapt scenarios to avoid potential distress and ensure a trusted adult is available to talk to the pupil after the session.

Extension Ideas

Assembly: Present the class charter to the whole school in assembly
History link: Discuss historical examples of what happens when values like democracy or rule of law break down (adapted for age group)
Art link: Design a poster representing one of the five values for a school display
Computing link: In a computing lesson, discuss how to identify reliable and unreliable information online; what to do if you see something that makes you feel uncomfortable
School council link: Invite the school council to explain how democracy works in school decision-making

Key Messages for Pupils

Our five values — democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance — help keep everyone safe and treated fairly
It is always okay to disagree with someone's ideas — but we must always treat people with kindness and respect
If something online or in real life feels unfair or makes you worried, tell a trusted adult
You will never be in trouble for telling a trusted adult about something that worries you

Support and Referral — For Staff

Resource	Contact / URL	Purpose
ACT Early	actearly.campaign.gov.uk	Government advice for those concerned someone is being radicalised — for professionals and families
Childline	0800 1111	24/7 support for young people — any worry
NSPCC	0808 800 5000	Child protection advice for adults
CEOP	ceop.police.uk	Online child sexual exploitation and harmful online content
Prevent Duty Guidance 2023	gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance	Full statutory guidance for schools
WRAP training	Via local authority Prevent coordinator	Mandatory staff Prevent awareness training

Sources and References

Home Office (2023). Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales 2023. gov.uk. [In force December 2023]
Department for Education (2025). Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025. gov.uk. [In force 1 September 2025]
Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, s.26. legislation.gov.uk.
Education Act 2002, s.78. legislation.gov.uk.
Department for Education (2014, updated). Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools. gov.uk.
Department for Education (2019). Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education — statutory guidance. gov.uk.
PSHE Association (2023). Programme of Study for PSHE Education (Key Stage 1–5). pshe-association.org.uk.

🏫 Prevent: Our Values, Our Community