A new counter-extremism commission will help to train schools and colleges to spot signs that young people are being radicalised.

The Home Office has also disclosed that the body it is setting up will be given the role of ensuring that women’s rights are upheld.

New details of the commission’s remit emerged as the government launched a recruitment campaign to appoint its head.

Ministers committed to establishing the Commission for Countering Extremism in the Queen’s Speech earlier this year.

It will be expected to identify examples and advise the government on new policies and laws, as well as help communities and the public sector to confront extremism and promote British values.

The Home Office said: “The commission will also help to train schools and colleges to spot the warning signs and stamp out extremism, as they have with racism.

Protecting women’s rights

“And because there is a strong correlation between extremism and the poor treatment of women and girls, the commission will have a specific responsibility to ensure women’s rights are upheld.”

The successful candidate for lead commissioner will advise the home secretary on the commission’s future role and help to shape its priorities.

Home secretary Amber Rudd said: “This government is committed to tackling extremism in all its forms - as the prime minister said after the London Bridge attack earlier this year, enough is enough.

“The new Commission for Countering Extremism will have a key role to play in this fight. It will identify and challenge tolerance of extremism, tackle extremist ideology and promote British values, learning the lessons from the struggle against racism in the 20th century.

“The lead commissioner will head up this vital work and I look forward to working with the successful candidate.”

Last month a Department for Education research report said that schools were being “over-zealous” in referring concerns about radicalisation to social workers.

The Prevent duty requires teaching staff to identify children at risk of being radicalised, and to take action over concerning behaviour.

But a Tes poll last year found that two-fifths of teachers said they’d had just an hour of training on the Prevent duty and that just over half (53 per cent) of those felt this was not enough.

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