Antisemitism among schoolchildren is now “a national emergency”, the education secretary has warned, and must be confronted with compulsory lessons on the Holocaust.
Bridget Phillipson said: “We must confront an alarming truth — the lessons of history are being forgotten by a growing number of our young people.”
She added: “Jewish pupils are being bullied in playgrounds, Holocaust jokes circulate on social media and swastikas appear on school property.
“These lessons are needed now more than ever. The horrific surge in antisemitism among schoolchildren since October 7 is not merely concerning — it is a national emergency. That is why every child in every school across England will learn about the Holocaust, about antisemitism, and about how easily democracy can fracture when hatred goes unchallenged.
“Through education we can build children’s resilience not just to antisemitic hate, but all other forms of hate too. The promise of ‘Never Again’ is meaningless if we fail to teach the next generation about what happened and why.”
