Schools Across England Silencing Families on Palestine: Survey Findings

Education

22 Jan

Written By Maslaha

Through our work in schools and community spaces, we have repeatedly seen young people and their families dismissed, silenced, or punished for showing solidarity for Palestinians and speaking out against a genocide. Schools should be spaces of learning and care, yet they are increasingly becoming environments of surveillance, fear and censorship.

In October 2025, Maslaha in partnership with Parents for Palestine, carried out a survey to better understand the experiences of families and how schools are responding to Palestine.

The findings reveal a concerning pattern of institutional silence, racism, censorship, punishment, and a lack of support. Many children and families do not feel safe or are silenced when expressing solidarity with Palestine in schools. This looks like children being punished for wearing a watermelon sticker or badge as it's ‘too politicial’; parents sharing a fundraiser in the parents Whatsapp group chat and being kicked out by moderators; to even children being threatened and referred to Prevent.

As a result, families are left feeling confused and isolated, unsure of their rights or how to explain to their children why they are being punished for caring about injustice. Most concerningly, we are seeing children of Palestinian heritage facing the most harm, they are being silenced, shamed by their teachers as they are restricted from expressing their identity, grief, worry and anger.

Silencing and punishing children for expressing their solidarity, rage and grief damages the relationship between schools and their communities. Schools have a duty of care to protect children’s wellbeing. When children are silenced, especially Palestinian and other racialised children, schools fail to create safe spaces where all young people feel heard and supported.

Schools justify their censorship of these expressions of solidarity by claiming it’s “too political”. But at the same time, Black and brown children facing racism are not being protected, and other political expressions like fundraisers for Ukraine or yellow ribbons have been allowed. What we are seeing now is not new and it’s part of a wider and longstanding problem: structural racism and Islamophobia embedded in our education system.

Schools should be spaces where children are encouraged to think critically about the world around them so that they can imagine and work towards change. They shouldn’t be censored or punished for showing humanity in the face of injustice.