UK accepts 27 recommendations on school antisemitism

Education Secretary Lucy Powell told Parliament that the government accepts all 27 recommendations from Sir David Bell’s review of antisemitism in England’s schools and colleges, including measures to make schools treat antisemitism as a distinct safeguarding risk. Bell’s review recommends that schools identify anti-Jewish hatred explicitly as a risk to pupils’ safety, strengthen political-impartiality guidance for teachers, provide dedicated training and record incidents more consistently. Powell also said the government would update and strengthen Holocaust education. It will encourage schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, but cannot require them to do so. The review reported that about one in five pupils surveyed had witnessed antisemitism, rising to three in five among Jewish pupils who took part. Around half of Jewish pupils who had witnessed an incident felt action might not follow, according to the review. The reports on the review did not provide survey sample sizes or methodology alongside those findings. Powell told MPs that children and teachers should be able to attend school without fear and described...