Antisemitism in English schools is expected to be the subject of a series of reforms after a Government-commissioned review found that three in five Jewish pupils had experienced it.
The independent review, due to be published today, is understood to contain 27 recommendations, including calls for schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
The report was commissioned after Damien Egan, a Jewish MP, was prevented from visiting pupils at Bristol Brunel Academy last year. The visit was cancelled on “safety” grounds after pro-Palestinian activists planned protests outside the school.
The local branch of the National Education Union subsequently said its members had raised concerns about Mr Egan’s position as vice-chairman of the Labour Friends of Israel parliamentary group.
The Government is poised to accept the recommendations in full. The Department for Education said it did not comment on leaked reports.
Review calls for greater scrutiny of antisemitism in schools
A survey included in the review found that one in five pupils had witnessed antisemitism. Among Jewish pupils, three in five said they had experienced it, while fewer than half believed action would be taken if an incident was reported.
Sir David Bell, who led the review, said he had been struck by the evidence of rising antisemitism and the extent to which incidents were not being reported.
“What this review has demonstrated is that a general commitment to tackling racism or prejudice or hate has not properly identified antisemitism as a particular kind of hate,” he said.
“We do need to name antisemitism as a particular kind of prejudice and hate, because I think if you don’t name it, you don’t actually know what you’re tackling or what you’re going to be able to do to respond to it.”
The recommendations include training teachers to understand the IHRA working definition, which sets out prejudice against Jews and includes 11 examples.
Schools would also be expected to include antisemitism in their online safety and safeguarding policies. Media literacy lessons are recommended to help pupils recognise and challenge online antisemitism and conspiracy theories.
The report calls for Holocaust education to present antisemitism as a central and explicit element of the atrocity. It also recommends that modern-day Judaism be taught comprehensively in religious education, with pupils given opportunities to engage with the Jewish community through activities such as synagogue visits and marking Holocaust Memorial Day.
Policies governing staff conduct should make clear that antisemitism is unacceptable, according to the review. It says schools should have robust systems for reporting and responding when staff experience antisemitism themselves.
Ofsted and the Independent Schools Inspectorate are also urged to hold schools accountable for putting measures to tackle antisemitism into practice.
Teachers may be reminded about political symbols
The review calls for stronger guidance on political impartiality, with headteachers advised to consider whether political expressions or identifiers are appropriate in school.
This could result in teachers being reminded not to wear pro-Palestine badges or other partisan symbols, although the report’s recommendations are not yet formally published.
Sir David said teachers needed to be seen as impartial so pupils could discuss difficult and topical issues without feeling that staff were imposing their own views.
The review also recommends a communications campaign at transport hubs near Jewish schools, aimed at preventing pupils from being targeted.
Jonathan Frisher, a 17-year-old Jewish pupil from Cheshire who contributed to the review, said swastikas and Nazi salutes had become normalised at his school.
“I was the only Jewish student at my school, and I experienced lots of antisemitic bullying,” he said.
“There were lots of comments around gas chambers, people telling me that I belonged in a gas chamber. And I also saw a wider culture in school of swastikas and Nazi salutes becoming quite normalised.”
Mr Frisher said the responsibility for challenging antisemitism should not have fallen on him as a 12-year-old pupil.
“I really believed then, and I believe now, that this has to come from the Government; teachers have a role to play in tackling antisemitism. The responsibility is on them,” he said.
