UK adopts sweeping plan against antisemitism in schools; teachers union pushes back

The UK has adopted sweeping measures to combat antisemitism in English schools, prompting praise from Jewish leaders and pushback from the country’s largest teachers’ union, which accused Israel of genocide.

The move came after a new government-commissioned review published on Wednesday found that three in five Jewish students reported experiencing antisemitism in English schools. The most common incidents were jokes, stereotypes and comments about Jewish people. About half of respondents who witnessed or experienced antisemitism said the incidents were not reported, most often because they did not think they were serious enough or that they would be taken seriously.

On Wednesday, the government accepted 27 recommendations from the report, including dedicated antisemitism training for leaders and staff, improved recording of antisemitic incidents and steps to build a better understanding of Jewish life, identity and contemporary antisemitism.

The government commissioned the report following a spate of high-profile attacks on Jews in Britain, including a fatal attack on a synagogue in Manchester last year on Yom Kippur.

The report’s author, Sir David Bell, the vice chancellor of the University of Sunderland and former chief inspector of schools in England, recommended addressing antisemitism distinctly from other forms of racism. He argued that antisemitism was a “uniquely complex” problem because of intertwined racial and religious dimensions, since Jewish identity can encompass both an ethnicity and a religion, along with expressions of prejudice that hold all Jews responsible for the actions of Israel.

British Education Secretary Lucy Powell called Bell’s review a “generational moment” and said that “implementation is now my priority.”

The government will also encourage English schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. The definition is backed by many mainstream Jewish organizations and has been adopted by 47 countries, including the UK, and a range of companies, universities and other organizations. But the definition’s critics oppose it because many of its examples focus on Israel, and it says some criticisms of the country are antisemitic.

Among those opposing the definition is the National Education Union, the largest union representing teachers, lecturers, teaching assistants and support staff in the United Kingdom and Europe. The union raised concerns on Wednesday about recommending the IHRA definition for schools.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said in a statement that the definition “risks deepening the problem rather than tackling it, and actively undermining efforts to confront antisemitism.”

“The IHRA’s contested framing risks blurring the line between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and the genocide in Gaza, leaving teachers with uncertainty when they need clarity,” said Kebede. He cited a risk that “children who cannot critically explore issues through classroom discussion will instead seek their answers in online and unsafe groups.”

Kebede also encouraged Britain’s Department for Education to strengthen guidance on all forms of racism, not only antisemitism, saying that 65 percent of teachers report they have not received any antiracism training in the past year.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, an umbrella organization for British Jewish communities, celebrated the antisemitism report and the government’s adoption of its proposed measures. The group specifically praised the report’s “clear recommendations that schools and local authorities follow government guidelines by adopting the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism as a tool to deepen understanding of contemporary antisemitism.”

“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,” said the Board of Deputies.

Report found one in four teachers dealt with antisemitism

The report on antisemitism in schools had recommended adopting the IHRA definition. The report found that antisemitism was most likely to occur in social areas, online or on social media and in lessons or classrooms.

Overall, 12% of respondents believed antisemitism was an issue at their school or college, compared with 46% of Jewish respondents.

The report also highlighted concerns among teachers, quoting a survey of about 10,000 teachers that found 26% had dealt with an antisemitic incident, although most described them as rare. A separate survey cited in the report found that, among Jewish teachers, 51% said they had experienced antisemitism in the workplace in the previous year, while 52% said appropriate action had not been taken when they reported problems.