A Government-commissioned review is expected to find that three in five Jewish pupils have encountered antisemitism at school.
The independent inquiry into antisemitism in English schools is due to be published tomorrow. It was launched after a Jewish MP was prevented from visiting pupils in Bristol.
Damien Egan’s planned visit to Bristol Brunel Academy was cancelled last year on safety grounds, after pro-Palestinian activists announced plans to protest outside the school.
Following the cancellation, the local branch of the National Education Union (NEU) claimed the decision as a victory, saying its members had raised concerns about Mr Egan’s role as vice-chairman of the Labour Friends of Israel parliamentary group.
The report is expected to set out 27 recommendations, including a call for schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
It also recommends stronger guidance on political impartiality, with school leaders advised to assess whether political expressions or identifying symbols are appropriate.
That could result in teachers being reminded not to wear pro-Palestine badges or other partisan symbols in school.
The Government is expected to accept all of the recommendations.
A Government-commissioned review is expected to find that three in five Jewish pupils have experienced antisemitism at school (file picture)
The accompanying survey found that one in five pupils had witnessed antisemitism. Among Jewish pupils, three in five said they had experienced it, yet fewer than half believed the issue would be addressed if reported.
Sir David Bell, who led the review, said he was “very struck” by evidence that antisemitism in schools is increasing and by the extent to which incidents go unreported.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “What this review has demonstrated is that a general commitment to tackling racism or prejudice or hate has not properly identified antisemitism as a particular kind of hate. And certainly that’s one of the themes of this report.
“We do need to name antisemitism as a particular kind of prejudice and hate, because I think if you don’t name it, you don’t actually know what you’re tackling or what you’re going to be able to do to respond to it.”
The leaked report recommends training teachers to understand and apply the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.
The definition, developed by the intergovernmental organisation, describes prejudice against Jews and includes 11 examples.
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It further recommends that antisemitism be incorporated into schools’ online safety and safeguarding policies.
The review also calls for media literacy lessons to help pupils identify and challenge online antisemitism and conspiracy theories.
The independent review into antisemitism in English schools, due to be published tomorrow, was launched after a Jewish MP was stopped from visiting pupils in Bristol. Pictured: Jewish MP Damien Egan, whose talk at Bristol Brunel Academy was cancelled
Holocaust education, it says, should present antisemitism as a central and explicit element of the atrocity.
Religious Education lessons should also provide comprehensive teaching about modern-day Judaism, alongside opportunities for pupils to engage with the Jewish community, including synagogue visits and marking Holocaust Memorial Day.
Policies on staff behaviour should be clear that antisemitism is not acceptable, and where they experience it themselves, robust reporting and response mechanisms should be in place.
And it recommends delivering a communications campaign in transport hubs near Jewish schools to stop pupils being targeted.
Finally, Ofsted and the Independent Schools Inspectorate should hold schools accountable for the implementation of policies to tackle antisemitism, it says.
Sir David said teachers needed to be seen as impartial so that students could ‘debate topical and difficult issues without feeling that teachers are imposing their own views on students’.
Jonathan Frisher, a 17-year-old Jewish student from Cheshire who took part in the review, said that swastikas and Nazi salutes had become normalised at his school.
He told Sky News: ‘I was the only Jewish student at my school, and I experienced lots of antisemitic bullying.
‘There were lots of comments around gas chambers, people telling me that I belonged in a gas chamber. And I also saw a wider culture in school of swastikas and Nazi salutes becoming quite normalised.
‘And the burden was often left on me as a 12-year-old Jewish student to explain to my peers why this antisemitism was so wrong.
‘I really believed then, and I believe now, that this has to come from the Government; teachers have a role to play in tackling antisemitism. The responsibility is on them.’
The Department for Education said it did not comment on leaks.
