Anti-radicalisation scheme to be rolled out in schools

An online programme aimed at preventing young people being radicalised is to be rolled out across the country.

The Home Office is backing the development of the programme, designed by the University of Kent, which will be used in schools from 2018.

Behind Closed Doors uses real news footage and simulated social media-style clips to highlight the dangers of grooming for radicalisation.

It explores subjects including far right extremism and terrorism.

The programme follows the online social media life of 15-year-old Maryam and her sisters, and the online and personal relationships of Joe, 20, and his family.

Both stories focus on grooming processes and what to do to help safeguard the young people.

Participants will be asked how the characters are being groomed.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "It is important that schools make sure young people and teachers are properly equipped to build resilience to radicalisation.

"We know that individuals are increasingly being targeted by terrorists online and that is why it is incredibly important to safeguard young people on the internet."

Abdullah Deghayes and his brother Jaffar Deghayes died in Syria

In 2014 three young people from Brighton were killed fighting in Syria after being radicalised in the UK, including Abdullah Deghayes, 18, from Saltdean and his brother, 17-year-old brother Jaffar Deghayes,

Ibrahim Kamara, 19, from Brighton, is believed to have been killed in a US airstrike in September 2014.

His mother, Khadijah Kamara, said: "Any programme that can prevent kids from going is a good one.

"In my experience they haven't gone to the root cause of the problem."

"Most of the kids that are going don't know the proper Islam - to them it's seen as glory," she said.