Politics has no place in the classroom, full stop

T hree in five Jewish pupils have witnessed or experienced antisemitism at school, according to a former Ofsted chief inspector. Sir David Bell notes that “incidents most commonly involve stereotypes, jokes and derogatory comments”. But he suggests that antisemitism is also being fuelled by “geopolitical events, particularly the Israel-Palestine conflict” having entered the classroom. He questions whether it is appropriate for teachers to wear “political expressions or identifiers” at work. Bell’s report, commissioned by ministers, should serve as a wake-up call. It is shocking that so many Jewish pupils experience antisemitism, and worse that this is seemingly condoned by some teachers. Bell calls for schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and for the government to issue stronger guidance on political impartiality. Most commented 1 Where’s Marie Curie? 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Finally a travel trend I can get on board with Advice What a mess. Rather than simply condemning antisemitism and promising to root it out of schools we are embroiled in a discussion about whether or not teachers should be politically impartial. As I explore in my new book, The Breaking of the Education Contract: Why we need to keep politics out of schools , concern about the politicisation of education is not new. Back in 1848, the American school reformer and abolitionist Horace Mann argued that “all indoctrination into matters of controversy between hostile political parties is to be elsewhere sought for, and elsewhere imparted”. But a century later things were not so clear cut. Progressive teachers, taking their lead from the philosopher John Dewey, argued that schools could become “centres for the building, and not merely for the contemplation, of our civilisation” if teachers were “less frightened” by the “bogies of imposition and indoctrination”. According to this view, the teacher’s role was to help create a better society by shaping the hearts and minds of future citizens. Advertisement Similar arguments play out today. Under Michael Gove’s direction, the case for a knowledge-rich curriculum that emphasised the classics in English literature and chronology in history seemed won, but teaching unions, many head teachers and university education departments were never convinced. In her new book, Rewilding Education , Hilary Cremin, head of the faculty of education at the University of Cambridge, argues against “an over-reliance on modernist and enlightenment ways of being and knowing” and in favour of “education for peace, justice and inclusion”. Top stories 1 High street banks are on borrowed time Saving & Investing 2 Belgium’s most stylish autumn weekend break — and it’s not Bruges Belgium Even as schools were tasked with introducing a more rigorous, academic curriculum, politics crept into the classroom. Relationships and sex education classes taught children it was possible to change their gender. Traditional subjects also left room for partiality. History teachers steeped in critical race theory left out the Battle of Waterloo to give more time to lessons on the slave trade, and English teachers keen on “queering the curriculum” could pick texts by transgender authors. Labour has made explicitly political demands. Sir Keir Starmer called for all schools to show the Netflix drama Adolescence to tackle toxic masculinity. After the summer 2024 riots ministers called for schools to “arm” pupils against “putrid conspiracy theories” through instruction in how to spot “fake news”. But misinformation and disinformation are inherently political concepts. Gender critical feminists, for example, argue that the idea of sex being mutable is “fake news”, yet this was taught to pupils as fact for many years. When teachers are told their job is to encourage children to adopt particular attitudes and values, it becomes harder to spot the promotion of a political outlook. This is especially true when schools are campaigning institutions. About 5,000 schools champion Fairtrade and have access to free classroom resources “designed to help young people understand fair trade, global justice, sustainability and how they can take action”. A similar number are Unicef Rights Respecting Schools, where children are encouraged to see themselves as “global citizens who advocate for social justice, fairness, and children’s rights at home and abroad”. In 2024 a London secondary school asked pupils to join a “fast” in solidarity with people in Gaza. A post on the school’s website said: “We stand united in supporting the children of Gaza, firmly advocating for their right to safety, health, and education.” Jewish children may have noted the absence of a fast in support of Israeli hostages. Advertisement At present, teachers are pulled in two directions. Under the Education Act 1996 and subsequent government guidance, schools are meant to be politically impartial. Yet when they promote favoured causes, tilt the curriculum and are told to instil certain values in children, this is not easy. The alarming rise of antisemitism in schools shows what can go wrong when politics is allowed to enter the classroom. The Breaking of the Education Contract is published by Civitas