91Èȱ¬

A total of 415 children aged 10 and under have been referred to the government's deradicalisation programme in England and Wales over the last four years, the Today programme has learned.

National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) figures obtained by the 91Èȱ¬ show 1,424 children aged 11-15 were also referred.
The "Channel" scheme, set up after the 7 July London bombings, aims to steer people away from extremism.

One parent, Ifhat Shaheen, said her 14-year-old son was interrogated by people working on the government's counter-terrorism strategy after he mentioned the word "eco-terrorists" in school.

He was taken aside at Central Foundation School in London and asked if he was affiliated to the Islamic State group, she said.
At another school - Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in north London - head teacher Jo Dibb said that no pupils had been referred to "Channel".

Part of the reason, she says, is that staff encourage conversation and debate about extremism rather than shying away from it.
"Just because a young person makes an off-the-cuff remark - it doesn't make them a terrorist.

(Image: school children in headdresses Credit: Getty Images)

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