UK accepts 27 recommendations on school antisemitism

Education Secretary Lucy Powell told Parliament on October 21 that the government accepts all 27 recommendations in Sir David Bell’s review of antisemitism in schools and colleges in England, including treating antisemitism as a distinct safeguarding risk. The government says it will strengthen safeguarding guidance, provide dedicated training and resources for teachers, and improve the recording and reporting of incidents. Powell also said she would write to schools and colleges asking them to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism. Adoption will be encouraged, but cannot be made compulsory. The review’s survey found that three in five Jewish pupils surveyed said they had experienced or witnessed antisemitism. About half of respondents who had witnessed or experienced it said incidents were not reported. Those findings describe survey respondents and are not an estimate of the proportion of all pupils affected. The Community Security Trust recorded 178 school-related antisemitic incidents in the first half of 2026, compared with 112 in the same period of 2025, an increase of 59%. The figures count recorded incidents and do...