A mother has spoken of her shock after drawings by her four-year-old boy alarmed nursery staff that they wanted to report him to a de-radicalisation programme.

Under the strategy Prevent Duty which came into force last year, teachers and other professionals are expected to report any concerns over extremism. 

It seems however staff are confused as to what might seem ‘extremist; and what isn’t.

Earlier this year a child was investigated after accidentally putting ‘terrorist’ instead of ‘terraced’ in a story. The Police refuted claims by the father that the investigation had anything to do with Prevent but did not clarify why the child and family were questioned about terrorism.
    
According to the boy's mum who wished to remain anonymous pictures of a castle being broken and another is of guards being blown up alarmed staff at his nursery.

Speaking to the BBC Asian Network his mum from Bedfordshire said, "She kept saying it was this one picture, man cutting the cucumber, which she said, to me was a cooker bomb. I was baffled, thinking where's this word come from?

“It wasn't until I went home and spoke to my husband. He said, oh my god he means cucumber, when my son says cucumber, he says cooker bomb."  

She said nursery staff were so worried about the drawings they wanted to report him to a de-radicalisation programme, called Channel. She didn’t allow it. "She was adamant I had to sign it, I said well I'm not going to, I don't agree with what you've written. I’m not a terrorist and my son isn't a terrorist.”

The nursery did not eventually refer the case to Channel but the BBC says the case was reported to a panel which included police and social services who decided to take no action.

Alex Kenny the National Union of Teachers told the station, “Teachers are scared of getting it wrong, they think OFSTED are going criticise them if they haven't reported these things, then you get the boy making the spelling mistake, or the boy saying something in Arabic that then gets reported on.”