Education secretary promises change after report shows 'shocking scale' of antisemitism in schools

The Education Secretary said “change will come” as she accepted all of the recommendations made in an independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges in England. Lucy Powell told the Commons on Wednesday that all children and teachers should be able to go to school or college “free from fear”, as she said tackling antisemitism is a “generational challenge”. Addressing MPs on Wednesday, the Education Secretary warned that antisemitism is “normalised and amplified” on social media and “old tropes” have found a “new life” online. The government has accepted all 27 recommendations in Sir David’s review – which has called for political impartiality guidance for teachers to be strengthened. Education Secretary Lucy Powell has promised change in schools and colleges following the landmark report. Credit: PA Among the recommendations were calls to improve Holocaust education in schools and to address antisemitism through the curriculum, for example through citizenship classes. The report did not call for a ban on teachers and pupils wearing political symbols or flags – like pro-Palestine badges – in schools and colleges, although Powell told MPs it is not something she expects teachers to wear. The Education Secretary will write to all schools and colleges to ask them to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. T he government-commissioned review found that three in five Jewish pupils said they had experienced or witnessed antisemitism. Around half of respondents who witnessed or experienced antisemitism said that incidents were not reported, the review found. Speaking to MPs on Wednesday, Powell said the “seminal” review into antisemitism in schools and colleges in England had exposed the “shocking scale” of the issue in British society. Man 'punched Jewish woman who was pushing baby daughter in pram', court hears Zionism is racism debate ‘unhelpful’, says Scottish Green co-leader The education secretary said the voices of Jewish students and teachers “will be heard” as she said “change will come”. The government will take forward a series of measures, including dedicated antisemitism training and resources for teachers and improved reporting of antisemitic incidents. Powell promised to strengthen safeguarding guidance to make clear that antisemitism is “a distinct risk” that requires a distinct safeguarding response. “All children and teachers should be able to go to school or college free from fear,” she told the Commons in a statement. Schools and colleges will be given more support on how to ensure “controversial and sensitive” issues and geopolitical events can be discussed in an informed and impartial way. Sir David, who led the independent review, said pupils should be able to have open discussions on the conflict between Israel and Hamas without experiencing “prejudice or hatred”. He told the Press Association it was “not good enough” that some teachers and pupils felt conversations on the topic were “too difficult to touch” when they arose in classrooms. Sir David said he had decided against recommending an outright ban on teachers and pupils wearing political symbols or flags because he believed it was “unworkable” and “untested legally”. But he did tell PA it was “entirely reasonable” for individual schools and colleges to use existing mechanisms – such as codes of conduct for staff and pupils – to set out what should be worn. “As Education Secretary, I am clear I would not expect to see teachers coming to school or college wearing or displaying any political material,” Powell told MPs. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott has argued that the review’s recommendations on education unions were “not strong enough”. The report acknowledged that some Jewish staff feel “excluded or insufficiently supported” by education unions due to activity and messaging relating to the Israel-Palestine conflict. But it did not conclude that education unions are “inherently antisemitic”, and instead it called on unions to “strengthen efforts” to address antisemitism. Ms Trott said: “Asking them to examine their own actions is allowing them to mark their own homework, and we already know that this doesn’t work.” The general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), urged caution over schools adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been criticised by some as conflating criticism of the state of Israel or Zionism with anti-Jewish racism. Describing this as the “wrong approach”, Daniel Kebede said the the recommendation “risks deepening the problem rather than tackling it”. He said: “Recommending the IHRA definition risks tightening the chilling grip already stifling classroom discussion of the Gaza genocide. “Schools need practical support to confront antisemitism, not a contested framework that risks shutting down legitimate discussion. “The very real risk is that children who cannot critically explore issues through classroom discussion will instead seek their answers in online and unsafe groups. Students, parents and teachers were urged to share their experiences for the Government-commissioned review between April and July. Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. Karen Newman, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “The evidence gathered by Sir David Bell showing the scale of the challenges is sobering, and makes clear the need for a determined and consistent approach. “Treating antisemitism in schools as a safeguarding issue will have the benefit of creating an explicit duty on all schools to address this as they would any other threat to children’s safety, and will strengthen accountability. “We remain concerned about undue external influence on schools driven by narrow political agendas, and tendentious materials seeping into schools and increasing disharmony, and we will continue to press for vigilance against this.” Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Unfortunately, there are differing views on what may or may not constitute antisemitism and what is a legitimate expression of views over the conflict between Israel and Palestine. “Schools and colleges are often caught in the middle of divisive issues and find themselves having to navigate between strongly held opinions on either side of an argument. “It is important that teachers are able to facilitate important conversations as this is key to the understanding of complex issues. They must be able to do this with confidence. Clear guidance and support are therefore essential and welcome.” The Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism in the UK, found there were 178 school-related antisemitic incidents in the first six months of this year, an increase of 59% from the 112 incidents reported over the same period last year. The organisation’s figures from when the review was announced found there were 204 school-related antisemitic incidents in 2025, double typical levels before 2023. From Westminster to Washington DC - our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below...