Rising UK antisemitism leaves Jewish school principals forced to focus on security, not education, study finds

Preliminary figures for the first half of 2026 show 1,926 anti-Jewish hate incidents occurred between January and June, up from 1,598 during the same period last year.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

Jewish school principals across Britain are increasingly forced to prioritize student safety over education, as rising antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility demand more of their time and attention, leaving them less able to focus on leading their schools and supporting students academically, according to a recent study.

Based on an upcoming British government review of antisemitism in education, a new study details the growing strain on Jewish schools as threats and anti-Jewish hatred rise, with interviews across Jewish, religious, and secular schools and colleges in England showing that security concerns now consume a significant part of principals’ daily responsibilities.

The review, which is expected to be released in full this fall, will reportedly call for stronger teacher training, a standardized system for reporting antisemitic incidents, and broader efforts to educate students about anti-Jewish hatred, the BBC reported.

Principals’ testimonies paint a stark picture of school life in which security threats have become a near-constant concern, forcing them to devote increasing time and attention to protecting students and staff rather than focusing solely on education.

“School security has become an absolute priority in recent years and has increased significantly,” one school principal told the BBC in an anonymous interview.

“There have been weeks when 90 percent of my time was devoted to security-related matters. Security concerns follow me even after school hours, and they are among the things that keep me awake at night.”

Preliminary data from the study also points to the scale of antisemitism within Britain’s education system, with at least one in five of roughly 5,000 Jewish young people surveyed reporting that they had experienced antisemitic behavior at school or college.

David Bell, who is leading the government-commissioned independent review and is a former permanent secretary at the Department for Education, described the situation facing Jewish students in Britain as “a crisis,” stressing that such a reality is not experienced by other communities across the country.

“What’s been quite shocking is the extent to which antisemitism is encountered by children and young people,” Bell told the BBC.

With the results expected this autumn, the review could intensify scrutiny of how Britain’s education system responds to antisemitism and whether Jewish schools are being forced to shoulder security burdens that should not fall on educators.

“I have never spent so much of my time and energy dealing with security issues … It prevents me from focusing on educational priorities and the development of the school. Instead, my time is devoted to security—something that should be taken for granted for every child in this country,” another school principal said during an interview.

Most of the children interviewed as part of the review pointed to an increasingly hostile school environment, describing antisemitic harassment, Nazi imagery, and open hostility toward Jewish students that has made hatred and intimidation an unsettling part of their daily experiences.

“People were telling me that I should be in a gas chamber. Swastikas were drawn in lots of classrooms and Nazi salutes became quite widespread,” one child said during an interview.

“Obviously for someone whose family suffered in the Holocaust, it was incredibly difficult to have to deal with comments like that.”

UK Education Secretary Lucy Powell condemned the findings, warning that antisemitism is reaching children and staff in places where they should feel protected and that schools must be prepared to confront hatred before it becomes normalized.

“Antisemitism has no place in our society, let alone our education system,” Powell told the BBC. “Jewish children and staff should never face hatred or prejudice, and every school and college must be equipped to tackle it when it happens.”

Like most countries across Europe and the broader Western world, the UK has seen a shocking rise in antisemitic incidents over the last two years, in the wake of the Hamas-led invasion and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

According to a report released last week, antisemitic incidents across the country surged 21 percent in just the first six months of 2026, reaching the second-highest total ever recorded for the period—pointing to an increasingly hostile climate facing Britain’s Jewish community amid rising violence and persistent anti-Jewish hatred.

The Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish charity that monitors antisemitism and provides security for Jewish communities across the country, released preliminary figures for the first half of 2026 showing 1,926 anti-Jewish hate incidents between January and June, up from 1,598 during the same period last year.

With an average of 321 antisemitic incidents recorded every month, the latest figures represent nearly double the levels seen before the Oct. 7 atrocities.

CST reported a sharp escalation in the severity of antisemitic attacks, with physical assaults soaring 82 percent to 135 cases, school-related incidents climbing 59 percent to 178, and antisemitic acts targeting synagogues increasing 31 percent, underscoring growing fears for the safety of Britain’s Jewish community.

Amid growing security concerns and an increasingly hostile environment for the country’s Jewish community, the British government announced last month an additional £25 million ($33.7 million) in funding to strengthen security at Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centers, bringing total government support this year to a record £58 million ($78.2 million).