National Curriculum: Religious Education

Earl of Effingham Excerpts

Thursday 30th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I can only repeat that I cannot be specific about the content of the curriculum after the finding of the review, but all the matters that the noble Baroness raises around inclusion, respect and recognising achievements in the areas that she mentioned are critical. We look forward to the result of the findings and the debates that will continue as a consequence.

[The Earl of Effingham (Con)]

My Lords, mutual understanding must mean the end of antisemitism in schools. Six months ago, Bridget Phillipson warned that antisemitism in schools is now a national emergency, but incidents continue to rise. When will the Government take decisive action to end this scourge, which endures across classrooms and playgrounds?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

The noble Earl puts his finger on one of the most sensitive issues in education at the moment. I reassure noble Lords that we are absolutely committed to making improvements in this area. Hate crime, discrimination and racism have no place in Britain, particularly not in our schools. I am delighted that we have committed £7 million to tackling antisemitism in schools, £3 million of which has been spent already. We are launching an innovation fund to look at new initiatives, which will open some time towards the end of November.