Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 4, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleBritain’s government has launched an independent review into school- and college-related antisemitism amid findings that such incidents in England have doubled since before Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks, with 204 school-related episodes recorded in 2025 alone.
LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Britain's government on Wednesday launched an independent review into antisemitism in England's schools and colleges, responding to data showing classroom-related incidents have doubled since before Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Attacks on Jews have risen globally since Hamas' assault on Israel, which triggered the Gaza war. Britain reported a 4% annual increase in cases of antisemitism in 2025 - the second-highest total on record - including a sharp spike after a deadly synagogue attack in northern England in October.
The Community Security Trust, which advises Jewish communities on security, recorded 204 school-related antisemitic incidents in 2025, twice pre-2023 levels.
"The figures are stark and clear," education minister Bridget Phillipson said in a statement.
She added that "too many Jewish teachers who raised concerns felt that nothing was done. That is not acceptable."
The government said the aim of the review was to assess how well education settings identify, prevent and respond to antisemitic behaviour, and where further support was needed.
The review will examine schools' policies, how incidents are handled when they occur, what preventive measures are in place, and how external factors – including protests outside schools and wider geopolitical tensions - influence behaviour within education settings.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Kate Holton)
Britain is responding to a doubling in classroom-related antisemitic incidents since before October 2023 and seeks to improve how schools address such behaviour.
The review will assess school policies, incident handling, preventive measures, and the impact of external factors on antisemitic behaviour in education.
School-related antisemitic incidents have doubled compared to pre-2023 levels, with 204 incidents recorded by the Community Security Trust in 2025.
The government aims to find how well schools identify, prevent, and respond to antisemitism, and where additional support is required.
Education minister Bridget Phillipson emphasized that many Jewish teachers' concerns were previously not addressed and called the situation unacceptable.
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