Curriculum overhaul to prioritise antisemitism awareness

The JC understands that these reforms will explicitly incorporate antisemitism awareness, as well as tools to help children recognise and challenge mis- and disinformation.

A DfE spokesperson said: “Our reforms will make citizenship statutory in primary schools, give children the tools to spot and challenge mis- and disinformation, and bring the sector together to design a draft RE curriculum which helps young people understand diversity of belief, builds social cohesion and help tackle antisemitism in our country.”

The 197-page review states that it “ultimately wishes to see RE in the national curriculum,” but recognises that it is “unrealistic for this to be achieved immediately”.

While RE is already compulsory in all state schools in England and Wales, it lacks the status of a national curriculum subject. The syllabus for RE is currently decided by local bodies.

As part of the review recommendations, Dr Vanessa Ogden, CEO of the Tower Hamlet-based Mulberry Schools Trust, will lead the drafting of a new RE curriculum consultation which will include faith bodies, secular groups and education experts to develop a draft syllabus.

If consensus can be reached across stakeholders, the government will consider legislating to bring RE formally into the national curriculum.

“This builds on the action we’re taking to introduce a wide-ranging package of measures to strengthen understanding and tolerance across education settings, and schools’ responsibilities to promote the fundamental British values of tolerance and respect in secondary citizenship and through the new Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance,” the DfE said.

The spokesperson added: “Antisemitism has no place in our society or our schools.”

The government previously committed £7 million to tackling antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities. A national training and learning network designed to improve staff’s ability in dealing with antisemitism and equip schools with practical resources will begin delivery from 2026.

£4m of this funding will form an “innovation fund” for suppliers to develop new methods to counter antisemitism in education, particularly through addressing mis- and disinformation and encouraging tolerant debate. The fund will be launched later this month.

The government’s plans to tackle Jew-hate in schools come after the Community Security Trust (CST) recorded 109 incidents targeting Jewish schoolchildren or staff at non-faith schools in 2024. Overall, there were 260 school-related cases of anti-Jewish hate in 2024, second only to 2023’s figure of 335.

In 2022, a year without a significant trigger event involving Israel, 41 incidents impacted pupils on their way to or from their place of education, and 37 took place at non-Jewish schools, the CST reported.