An independent review commissioned by the British government has revealed a disturbing picture of rising antisemitism across the country’s schools, with Jewish school leaders increasingly forced to devote their attention to security rather than education.
David Bell, who is leading the review, told the BBC that heads of Jewish schools are spending a significant portion of their time dealing with security concerns, often at the expense of educational matters. “Sometimes education takes second place,” Bell said, describing the demands placed on schools as they work to protect students and staff.
1+The review, expected to be published this fall, is examining the experiences of Jewish students and staff at schools and colleges across England. Bell found that Jewish students are subjected to “regular harassment and abuse” and face “pressure, and even crisis, that is not experienced by other communities in the country.”
A UCAS survey of 5,000 children found that approximately 20% had experienced or witnessed antisemitic behavior. Recent figures from the Community Security Trust (CST) show a sharp rise in Jew-hatred incidents at schools. During the first half of 2026, such incidents increased by 59% compared with the same period in 2025, climbing from 112 to 178. Jewish school leaders told the BBC that they now spend as much as 90% of their time dealing with security, preventing them from focusing on improving education.
1+Jewish student Yonatan Frischer testified before the review about antisemitic bullying that included calls to “go to the gas chambers,” drawings of swastikas and Nazi salutes. A teacher at a Jewish elementary school in London said security had been significantly increased and that her vehicle is checked every morning with an inspection mirror underneath it.
She added that students encounter antisemitic remarks while traveling to school and at sporting events, leaving children asking a devastatingly simple question: “Why do people hate Jews so much?”
The review is expected to recommend specialized training for teachers and improved education about Jew-hatred for students. Education Secretary Lucy Powell described the review as “essential work” and pledged to examine its findings and recommendations. “Antisemitism has no place in our society, and certainly not in our education system,” Powell said.
Yet for Jewish children arriving at school behind heightened security while their principals spend more time protecting them than educating them, Britain’s antisemitism crisis is no longer an abstract social problem—it has become part of the school day itself.