Teachers trained to spot young terrorists
TEACHERS in Cornwall will be the first in Britain to be trained in how to spot pupils who could be terrorists, it has been revealed.
Civil rights groups have hit out at Cornwall Council after it announced plans to stage a £3,500 conference, pencilled in for this summer.
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The event will offer teachers guidance on identifying children who could grow up to become suicide bombers or develop other extremist tendencies.
But campaigners from human rights group Liberty have branded the plans "terrifying".
At the conference teachers will be told to monitor any youngsters who are making 'unusual' comments, or whose families appear to be living 'on society's fringe', the Government said.
It will be the first of its kind to be held in Great Britain and is being funded by the council as part of the Home Office's anti-terror strategy.
The decision to organise it follows a presentation from Devon and Cornwall Police to the council's Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education.
Cornwall Council's religious education adviser David Hampshire said: "Just because we are in Cornwall and it feels we are far away from everywhere this agenda is still important to us in preventing violent extremism and should be core to education.
"Religious education has a particular role to play in getting people to question very extremist narratives."
But Liberty spokeswoman Corinne Ferguson called for more positive work with young people, rather than "treating them as suspects".
She said: "The idea of teachers being constantly suspicious of pupils rather than trying to engage in a positive way is quite scary.
"If there's any suggestion they are sharing personal information on pupils it is a pretty terrifying state of affairs."
The Department for Children, Schools and Families said a similar national scheme was already in place for teachers.
"It tells how to recognise who could potentially be coerced into extremism," the Government spokesman added.
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by Stuart, Plymouth
Thursday, March 18 2010, 12:59PM
“OK so were going to try and have teachers spot individuals that come from close knit, insular communities, often with a culture and heritage of second cousins marrying, with a distrust of the bigger country and have experienced hostility and ridicule when meeting with members of society that do not come from their cultural and shared heritage.............................”
by cal, uk
Thursday, March 18 2010, 12:03AM
“Yes lots of people are home teaching these days,
IT is a growing trend very Big in the states also.
,A German couple was fined a lot of money for proceeding to home school,this was in Germany they did it over a few years with repeated warnings But finally fled to USA. requesting asylum which was granted , caused a quite stink a few weeks back. with thee German gov .you can Google it.
This is the wrong approach and has far reaching implications not yet considered and by the look of the comments posted people do not seam to mind..
I do not mean for the "quote " trouble makers either but for lots ,if not most normal family units and the children. The nanny state needs to let the family bring up its children.
DONT VOTE RED OR BLUE ITS THE SAME DOUBLE HEADED SNAKE.
I MAY GO UKIP THIS TIME”
by Dom, bretonside
Wednesday, March 17 2010, 10:45PM
“its fine! cos you'll never catch any of them, well, not now you've told us all how you will try to thwart their plans! i say if you wanna catch a terrorist in cornwall then take a peekie round torpoint - wretched little hole!”
by daz, uk
Wednesday, March 17 2010, 10:32PM
“Let me guess how to identify a terrorist. Anyone who questions the status quo is suspect of being a terrorist? The elite don't want anyone questioning there design now do they.”
by dee, lancs
Wednesday, March 17 2010, 10:25PM
“REMEMBER.
Everything starts some where.
how far along is the uk from this.
i want to home school were i can teech about christian values.respect also protecting my under five from sexual education .not to mention the hordes of kids swearing from mothers who dont know milk comes from a cow.
"THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
THEN THEY CAME for the Catholics,
and I didn¿t speak up because I was a Protestant.
THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up."”