Operation Encompass 

We are working in partnership with West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council to share information regarding domestic abuse.

What is Operation Encompass?

Our school is part of an initiative run between Leeds Local Authority, schools, and West Yorkshire Police. The project, called Operation Encompass, has been designed to provide early notification of any domestic abuse incidents that occur outside of school which may have an impact on a child during the school day. This information is shared with the school through a secure system following an incident.

The project ensures that a trained member of school staff, known as the Key Adult, is available to liaise with children’s services and the police, and to respond appropriately to the information that has been shared confidentially. In this way, we aim to support any child who has been involved in, or has witnessed, a domestic abuse incident.

The Key Adults at Castleton Primary School are Mrs Gleadhill and Mr Jones.

If an Operation Encompass notification is received, a trusted adult will ensure that appropriate support is in place for the child, if needed. In most cases, this support is discreet—staff may simply monitor the child’s wellbeing and help ensure they have a calm and supported school day. Confidential information is not routinely shared with all staff; instead, only relevant staff are informed on a need-to-know basis to provide appropriate support.

All schools have a duty to share information with relevant agencies if they believe a child may be at risk of harm. The Key Adult may therefore contact other services if necessary.

The sharing of information from the police allows the school to be prepared to support your child as soon as possible. It also ensures that parents are aware that the school understands that something may have happened. Parents are welcome to speak with the Key Adult, who can also signpost families to additional support services if needed.

Our aim is to support children and their families.

For more information, please visit:

• Operation Encompass website

Prevent Strategy

What is the Prevent strategy?

• Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes.
• The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes.

How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?

• From July 2015 all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.
• This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from any other harm.
• Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues, at an appropriate level so they better understand how to protect themselves.

What does this mean in practice at Castleton Primary School?

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy. These include:

• Having a strong Aims and Ethos which pervades our school.
• Focusing on core values.
• Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity.
• Challenging prejudices and racist comments.
• Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity.
• Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy.

We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils.

Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?

The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect. This is what we will focus on at Castleton Primary School.

The school will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.

Is extremism really a risk in our area?

Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others.

We will endeavour to give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.

Further information

Contact the school - If you have any questions or concerns about the Prevent Strategy and what it means for your child, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

See our policies - You will find more details about radicalisation in our safeguarding policy, available on our website. 

External sources - The following sources may also be useful for further information:

• What is Prevent? Let’s Talk About It 

Key Terms

Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values.

Ideology – a set of beliefs

Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause

Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support extremism and terrorism

Click here to find more information on the Leeds City Council website