Children ‘accidentally’ coming across far-right material online

The NASUWT teachers’ conference has heard how children are accidentally coming across far-right material online while innocently carrying out research for school projects.

Delegates debating the influence of the far right in schools heard that children’s access to social media and smartphones means they are more at risk of being exposed to extremist material than ever before.

Teachers said the casual use of hate speech by politicians and leaders is ‘filtering rapidly into our schools and the homes of our learners, whilst the effect of the pandemic has increased the risk for young people, who were forced to spend more time online during lockdown.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said: “We are alarmed by the incidence of far-right extremism and hate crimes in the UK. Over the last decade, the government has peddled a hostile environment agenda which has created the conditions for hatred to flourish.

“Official numbers of reported hate crimes have risen to more than 124,000 a year across England and Wales. Nearly three-quarters of these hate crimes were racially motivated-increasing by 12 per cent in just a year. Schools are not immune, as children and young people are often exposed to hate speech on social media and elsewhere. More needs to be done to examine and address the problem of extremism within schools and colleges.

“Concerted government-level action is urgently needed to support schools in tackling the problem and to support pupils and teachers who have been targeted and victimised. Anti-racism must be central to the curriculum and schools and colleges must also be supported and equipped to provide a curriculum that challenges all forms of bigotry, prejudice and hatred.”

Teachers at the conference have voted for the union to lobby the government to invest in new international education programmes to promote diversity, and to produce better training for members to help them challenge far-right views when they arise in the classroom.