Bridget Phillipson pledges to stamp out antisemitism in schools after Bristol MP visit cancelled

Officials from Ofsted, the UK’s education regulator, carried out an urgent inspection at Bristol Brunel Academy on Thursday morning amid claims the school might have been “intimidated into cancelling” Egan’s visit. 

In a Facebook post in September, the NEU’s Bristol branch boasted that Egan’s visit to the school had been prevented by union activists.

“MP Damian [sic] Egan’s planned school visit ... this Friday has been cancelled after concerns were raised by the NEU trade union staff group, parents and local constituents”, the post said, adding: “This is a clear message: politicians who openly support Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza are not welcome in our schools.”

The post went on to attack Egan for serving as vice chair of the Labour Friends of Israel group, and for visiting Israel “since the current onslaught on Gaza began, demonstrating his support.”

It added: “We celebrate this cancellation as a win for safeguarding, solidarity, and for the power of the NEU trade union staff group, parents, and campaigners standing together”. An emoji of the Palestinian flag accompanied the post.

Writing in today’s Sunday Telegraph, Phillipson said it was “completely unacceptable” that Egan “was stopped from carrying out a planned visit to a school in his constituency”, adding, “I have asked the Trust [that oversees the school] to commission an independent investigation into what happened.”

She also promised separately that she would “leave no stone unturned” in ensuring schools and colleges have the tools they need to tackle antisemitism.

Philippson wrote: “I will be launching a review as part of the Government's wider work to build social cohesion and combat extremism, to ensure all schools and colleges have the right systems and processes in place to identify and respond to antisemitism and related issues.”

Officials will also examine whether schools and colleges have “enough support to make difficult decisions, especially when children as young as ten are skipping school to attend protests about Palestine and Israel,” the Education Secretary said.

“Questions must be answered about how we reached this point – and I intend to get those answers, and take action.”

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, welcomed the Phillipson’s announcement. “Since October 7 2023, there has been a myriad of deeply concerning incidents in and around schools,” he said. “We will work with [the Department for Education] on the scope so that we can banish hatred from our education system.”

Phillipson’s pledge came as it emerged that the number of secondary schools marking on Holocaust Memorial Day has seen a steep decline in the two years that immediately followed October 7 and the onset of the war in Gaza.

In January 2023, more than 2,000 secondary schools across the UK held events to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. That figure plunged to fewer than 1,200 in 2024 before dropping again to just 854 in 2025, according to data from the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Asked about Egan’s cancelled visit, the NEU said in a statement that the organisation was “rooted in anti-racism in all forms, including antisemitism” and that the union’s head office “had no knowledge that the school had rescinded the invite to the local MP until it was reported in the press”.

The statement continued: “Indeed, the school is quoted as saying this was a decision that they took and the visit has been rescheduled."

A spokesperson for Bristol Brunel Academy said: “Damien Egan MP – as a high-achieving alumnus of the CLF [Cabot Learning Federation, which the school is part of], and in common with other local MPs from across the political spectrum – was invited in September to visit Bristol Brunel Academy, a secondary school situated in his constituency of Bristol North East.

“Mr Egan was due to discuss democracy and the role of an MP, while helping to raise aspirations among students who may have an interest in pursuing similar career paths.

“On the evening before Mr Egan’s scheduled visit, we were made aware of plans for a public protest outside the school. As this protest was scheduled to coincide with the end in the school day, we opted to postpone Mr Egan’s visit to ensure everyone would continue to feel safe when entering and exiting school and to prevent any disruption to our students’ learning.

“We have remained in contact with Mr Egan, and an alternative date for his visit was arranged some time ago. We have also been in contact with the police and followed their advice.