Education Secretary accepts all 27 antisemitism review recommendations

The government has accepted all 27 recommendations from an independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges in England. The review, led by former schools inspector Sir David Bell, found that antisemitism is widespread and recommended treating it as a distinct safeguarding risk rather than as part of general anti-bullying or anti-racism policies. Education Secretary Lucy Powell told MPs that antisemitism had been normalised and said the government would adopt the full package.

According to the review, three in five Jewish students have experienced antisemitism, and one in five students overall have either seen or experienced it. Half of Jewish teachers say they have experienced antisemitism. Fewer than half of students thought reporting an incident would resolve it, a finding that pointed to serious underreporting. Coverage of the review also cited a 59% rise in school incidents in the past year and warned that standard anti-bullying rules were not working.

The review looked at Jewish and non-Jewish schools. It found antisemitism was a particular issue among young people, fuelled in part by online hate and misinformation. Jewish pupils in Jewish schools described security measures that go well beyond those in non-Jewish schools, including guards at the gate and drills for locking doors and covering windows. Pupils and campaigners said abuse also followed Jewish children on the journey to and from school and affected Jewish students in mainstream schools where they may be the only Jewish pupil.

Jonathan Frisch, who was the only Jewish student at his school, described being told he belonged in a gas chamber and seeing swastikas and Nazi salutes become normalised. He said the burden was often left on him, as a 12-year-old, to explain to other pupils why antisemitism was wrong. He has since campaigned for better education and has been appointed to the government's implementation group. He said the review was a chance for generational change but that recommendations were only as good as their implementation.

The recommendations include: - Treating antisemitism as a specific safeguarding risk and recording antisemitic incidents as a distinct category. - Adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism. - New teacher training and resources, including a form of hotline for teachers dealing with antisemitic incidents. - Strengthening Holocaust education and education about modern antisemitism. - Giving Ofsted a greater role in inspecting schools' antisemitism policies. - Issuing government guidance on political impartiality and asking school leaders to review how political symbols, flags and slogans are worn in school. - Running a communications campaign closer to Jewish schools to deter abuse.

Sir David Bell said general commitments to tackling racism or prejudice had not properly identified antisemitism as a particular kind of hate. He also raised concerns about political impartiality, saying teachers should help students debate topical and difficult issues but must do so impartially. The review's recommendations on political symbols prompted discussion about Palestine badges and other political expression in schools, with some commentators arguing that such symbols can amount to antisemitic conduct and others warning that teachers need room to handle difficult events fairly.

The government said it condemned antisemitism in any form. Lucy Powell told MPs that blaming British Jews for the actions of the Israeli government, assuming British Jews hold a particular political standpoint because they are Jewish, or targeting British Jews out of concern for Palestine were all antisemitism. The government is expected to move quickly on implementation, with supporters hoping the review becomes a turning point in how schools recognise and tackle anti-Jewish hate.