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Written Question
Universities: Antisemitism
Wednesday 9th July 2025

Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with StandWithUs UK on its report entitled Voice of Students 2024-25, published on 7 May 2025.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The antisemitic incidents detailed in StandWithUs UK’s Voice of Students report are wholly unacceptable and the wellbeing and safety of our Jewish students remains a priority. That is why last month, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, brought together Vice Chancellors and community leaders to hear testimonials from Jewish students and to discuss next steps to ensure safer, more inclusive campuses for all.

The department remains committed to working with universities, sector partners and stakeholder groups to continue our efforts to tackle antisemitism on our campuses.

Written Question
Schools: Antisemitism
Monday 29th January 2024

Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle antisemitism in schools.

Answered by Damian Hinds

It is deeply concerning to see the huge rise in antisemitism following Hamas’s terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023. To see this form of hatred also take place in education is unacceptable.

The government took immediate action in October 2023. First, to increase security measures at Jewish schools, colleges and nurseries - we announced £3 million of additional funding to the Community Security Trust.

The Secretary of State also wrote to all schools and colleges on 17 October 2023, urging them to support Jewish students and highlighting our political impartiality guidance and advice on the Prevent programme.

To support schools and colleges we published learning resources on our Educate Against Hate website.

We are also providing over £3 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024, to five anti-bullying organisations, which includes projects to tackle hate-related bullying on the basis of race and faith.

The department has networks of ‘Prevent’ practitioners who provide training to school staff on radicalisation and empower teachers to challenge extremism in the classroom.

We continue to monitor the situation carefully. Ministers have conducted several visits recently to listen to the experience of Jewish communities, including meeting with Dr David Landau who is Chair of Governors Menorah High School, one of the settings that temporarily closed in October over safety concerns.

We are engaging regularly with faith groups and school leadership organisations to understand their concerns and use it to shape our response. This includes the Board of Jewish Deputies and Chinuch UK.

In the Autumn Statement, on 22 November 2023, the government announced a further £7 million of funding over the next three years to help tackle antisemitism. This will help support schools, colleges, and universities to understand, recognise and deal with antisemitism effectively. We are preparing to issue an invitation for interested organisations to tender in the coming weeks.

If anyone feels that specific issues in education are not being addressed, they can raise them directly to the department through the Counter Extremism helpline or our “Report Extremism” online form. We then engage with the police and local authorities to consider what action is needed.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 25 Oct 2022
Crisis in Iran

"(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on the current crisis in Iran...."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 25 Oct 2022
Crisis in Iran

"Thank you for granting this urgent question, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Minister for her answer. I also thank the Foreign Secretary for his letter yesterday advising me that I have been sanctioned by the Iranian regime.

Since the brutal murder of Mahsa Jina Amini by the morality police, …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 16 May 2022
Making Britain the Best Place to Grow Up and Grow Old

"It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West (Mrs Hodgson). I add my congratulations to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mrs Hamilton) on her maiden speech—I assure her that the case load continues year after year. I also offer my appreciation for another …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 24 Feb 2022
Higher Education Reform

"I warmly welcome the statement from my right hon. Friend. There is clearly a temptation for universities to attract young people who are not prepared to do university courses, and indeed do not have the qualifications, just to get the money from the students, and then they fail them at …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 31 Jan 2022
Oral Answers to Questions

"1. What steps his Department is taking to ensure that pupils can learn safely in education settings. ..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 31 Jan 2022
Oral Answers to Questions

"I express my sincere condolences to the Mother of the House and the entire family on the sad loss of the Member for Birmingham, Erdington.

I am sure that my hon. Friend will join me in thanking and congratulating the headteachers and staff at all our schools—those in Harrow in …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 15 Dec 2021
School Openings: January 2022

"I congratulate headteachers and staff across Harrow, who have kept schools open during very difficult and challenging times. I am a very strong supporter of the vaccine programme and testing, but many of our children will be mixing over Christmas with people from across the country and may inadvertently and …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 06 Dec 2021
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

"I would go back a little longer than other people, and refer to the Jasmine Beckford case, as well as the Victoria Climbié case, the Baby Peter case and now that of Arthur. The one common theme throughout this whole terrible series of events is that the opportunities to take …..."
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