UK teachers face potential ban on pro-Palestine badges

UK teachers could face restrictions on wearing pro-Palestine badges or similar political symbols following a government-commissioned review into “antisemitism” in schools and colleges, according to reports first highlighted by The Telegraph.

The independent review by Sir David Bell, a former Ofsted chief inspector and now vice-chancellor of the University of Sunderland, was published on 21 October after being commissioned earlier this year by the Department for Education.

The report details what was described as a significant problem: surveys found that three in five Jewish pupils aged 16-19 had experienced or witnessed antisemitism, while about one in five students overall reported seeing it.

The Community Security Trust recorded 178 school-related “antisemitic” incidents in the first half of 2026, up 59% from the same period the previous year.

Bell’s 27 recommendations, all accepted by the government, include stronger guidance on political impartiality, dedicated “antisemitism” training for staff, better incident reporting, and recognition of “antisemitism” as a specific safeguarding risk.

On political symbols, the review stopped short of calling for a nationwide blanket ban on items such as “Free Palestine” badges or the watermelon symbol associated with Palestinian solidarity.

Bell said he had “considered very carefully whether I should recommend an outright ban on the wearing of political symbols in schools and classrooms,” but concluded it would be “unworkable” and “untested legally.”

Instead, he advised that schools and colleges should “consider the appropriateness” of political expressions or identifiers worn by staff, noting it is “entirely reasonable” for individual institutions to use existing codes of conduct or dress codes to restrict them where concerns arise.

The review heard “numerous” examples of teachers and students displaying pro-Palestine badges, flags or slogans, with mixed views on their place in education settings.

“The issue is not necessarily the presence of Palestinian flags or slogans but the context and impact,” the report stated, including who displays them, where, and whether responses are consistent with other symbols.

Bell stressed the need for clearer guidance so students can “debate topical and difficult issues without feeling that teachers are imposing their own views on students.”

Education Secretary Lucy Powell accepted all recommendations and went further in her public comments. “I accept his recommendation, but as education secretary, I am clear: I would not expect to see teachers coming to school or college wearing or displaying any political material,” she said.

Powell described the findings as highlighting the “shocking scale” of the problem and called the review a “generational moment,” adding that “change will come.”

Schools already have a legal duty under the Education Act 1996 not to promote partisan political views.

The government will now implement measures including an expert advice network for complex cases, updated safeguarding guidance, and encouragement for schools to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism.