Principals 'not best to spot extremism'

A Muslim community spokeswoman has accused the government of failing to consult and reacting to headlines after Premier Mike Baird announced an audit of school prayer groups.

The audit of the state's public schools comes after allegations from counter-terrorism police that a 17-year-old had been preaching extremist ideology at Sydney's Epping Boys High School.

Australian Muslim Women's Association spokeswoman Silma Ihram, who is also a former school principal, said the government had failed to consult with the appropriate community groups.

School principals have been asked to tell authorities about prayer groups operating within their schools.

Ms Ihram said the government was reacting to news headlines.

"He's auditing all religions, what's that going to do? Is that a head count?" she said.

"The people he's nominating have no idea about the extent of what can and cannot be said in a Friday prayer.

"How do they recognise that a student has been radicalised?"

Mr Baird said the police would send principals a counter-terrorism brief.

"Our schools, our police and other authorities are operating in a new and different world, as far as risks to our young people are concerned," he said.

"We are determined to stamp out any form of extremism that might be in our playgrounds."

Police and the Department of Education have responded to a small number of incidents in the past year, including at Epping Boys High School.

"I don't think any one of us could have imagined four or five years ago the concept of 13 and 14-year-olds being involved in extremism and signing up for terrorist activities," Mr Baird said.

Deputy opposition leader Linda Burney said the government's response was "flat-footed".

"If it's all religious instruction, the review would be extremely difficult because it would be huge," she told AAP.

"You would have to ask who's going to do it and how much it's going to cost."