In July it was announced that the Department for Education had awarded funding to the CES, Archdiocese of Birmingham and Board of Deputies of British Jews for a project to help school pupils recognise and challenge antisemitism.
Funded through the government's Tackling Antisemitism in Education innovation fund, the themes, stories and educational content for the first films and classroom resources are being developed with partner organisations, schools and young people, bringing the initiative closer to the classroom.
Focusing on Jewish life, faith and identity, the resources will help pupils understand the richness and diversity of Jewish lived experience while developing the confidence to recognise and challenge antisemitism.
Critical literacy
Misinformation about minorities shares common patterns across forms of hatred, and the skills pupils will learn of critical literacy, misinformation resistance, and respectful dialogue are set to improve their ability to recognise and challenge antisemitism and wider hate narratives.
Lessons will root anti‑hate principles in Catholic theology, specifically the inherent dignity of the individual as made in the image and likeness of God; respect for the other; fraternity and solidarity. Children and young people will learn that antisemitism is prejudice, hostility or discrimination directed against Jewish people because they are Jewish.
In Catholic schools 10% of curriculum time is dedicated to Religious Education, meaning alongside Catholic Christianity other religions like Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and non-religious world views are given more study time than in most non-denominational schools, contributing to community cohesion.
Highest number of schools
Of the 19 dioceses in England, Birmingham, which covers 13 local authorities stretching from Stoke to Reading, is home to the highest number (241) of Catholic schools and colleges, including serving both urban and rural communities, with ethnically diverse pupils of different faiths and of none.
In line with funding specifications the training 'should be appropriately tailored to the differing needs and requirements of schools and colleges; and developed in such a way as to create a long-lasting legacy beyond the lifetime of the project, via a “train-the-trainer” approach and champion network.'
As applicable to different forms of prejudice such as anti-Muslim hatred, homophobia or misogyny, a successful pilot could be replicated at scale across the wider archdiocesan family of schools ahead of a potential national roll-out.
Interfaith collaboration blueprint
The collaboration between CES, the Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Board of Deputies can also offer a blueprint for interfaith, evidence-based work on combating hatred.
According to Home Office data, in 2024/25 people from Jewish and Muslim backgrounds disproportionately experienced faith hate crime, with 2,873 incidents recorded for the former, or 105.89 per 10,000 people, and 3,868,133 incidents for the latter, or 11.58 per 10,000 people.
