Following extensive outreach by Safe to Learn, the Department for Education has updated Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 to clarify that faith-based prejudice and abuse is now to be addressed as a safeguarding issue for all the children and young people involved.

Paragraph 17 states that “All staff should recognise that children may experience prejudice-based harm, including racism, faith-based prejudice, and other forms of discrimination. Such experiences may affect a child’s welfare, wellbeing, mental health, and willingness to seek help. Staff should be alert to the signs and impact of prejudice-based harm and ensure that concerns are considered within safeguarding practice where appropriate”. This implies that staff need to be trained to identify and act promptly on concerns relating to prejudice based harms including antisemitism.

Paragraphs 32 and 37 emphasise this new focus, stating that staff should recognise that faith-targeted abuse may have a significant impact on a child’s welfare, wellbeing and sense of safety and that such abuse comes under the umbrella of child-on-child abuse and should be addressed as such.

Governing bodies and proprietors in all schools must actively “promote an inclusive, anti-discriminatory culture”.

Start by taking these four actions to get your school ready for inspections:

1. Update your policies and procedures with the new wording.
2. Ensure all staff recognise that prejudice-based harm, including racism, faith-based prejudice, and other forms of discrimination is a safeguarding issue and they are responsible for addressing it.
3. Make sure DSLs treat disclosures of faith-based abuse with the same weight as other safeguarding concerns.
4. Let children and young people know that faith-based discrimination and abuse is a safeguarding issue, they have the right to be safe and that all concerns will be taken seriously.

Safe to Learn has created a tool kit that can help leaders to identify the risks of faith-based abuse and to implement measures to help address antisemitism in schools.

Get in touch with our team for free independent guides and training.