Recent figures from the Community Security Trust, an organisation which provides security for the Jewish community, showed a spike in antisemitic incidents at schools.
It found in the first half of 2026, antisemitism in schools reached the highest level ever recorded for the first six months of any year. It jumped by 59%, from 112 reported incidents in the first half of 2025, to 178 recorded over the same period in 2026.
Dr Dave Rich, director of policy at the CST, said the review was timely and hopes “it will lead to practical recommendations that help educational institutions tackle antisemitism effectively.”
Education Secretary Lucy Powell told the BBC the review was a “vital piece of work” and she would “carefully consider the conclusions and recommendations to ensure we do what is necessary to prevent antisemitism in our schools and colleges”.
She said in a statement: “Antisemitism has no place in our society, let alone our education system. Jewish children and staff should never face hatred or prejudice, and every school and college must be equipped to tackle it when it happens.”
One teenager who gave evidence to the Bell review is Jonathan Frisher, from Cheshire. Now a sixth former, Jonathan was the only Jewish student at his school. He first experienced antisemitic bullying when he started secondary school in 2020.
“Having one single lesson about modern-day antisemitism really did help,” he said.
“Attitudes changed immediately and people did apologise to me. I experienced a lot less antisemitism. If it works in my school, there’s no reason that it can’t work in every school across the country.”
