The National Jewish Assembly (NJA) expresses serious concern over reports that a GCSE English language paper, set by Pearson Edexcel, contained politically charged, anti-Israel material in the guise of literary content. The paper has since been withdrawn after UK Lawyers for Israel raised the alarm about its potential to penalise students expressing pro-Israel views.
The 2023 International GCSE paper reportedly featured an extract from War Doctor by David Nott, which includes the line describing medical action in Gaza as “a pointless act of defiance against the warmongers” – a phrase easily interpreted as a thinly veiled reference to Israel. Students were expected to engage with the text without any balance, context, or alternate perspective – a blatant failure of educational neutrality.
This is not an isolated case. It is yet another alarming example in a wider pattern of politicisation within the UK’s education system – one that the NJA has consistently warned about. From classroom materials to union activism, antisemitism and pro-Palestinian extremism are seeping into British schools under the guise of social justice.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the incestuous relationship between the National Education Union (NEU) and the radical Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). The NEU has actively encouraged educators to bring “Palestine solidarity” into classrooms, platforming organisations that promote one-sided, hostile narratives and encouraging teachers to engage in anti-Israel activism during school hours.
This latest GCSE incident reflects the cultural consequences of that alliance. When educators adopt a political agenda, students suffer – not only academically, but morally. Classrooms must remain spaces of intellectual inquiry, not indoctrination.
NJA Vice Chairman Laurence Julius said: “Education must be impartial. We are deeply concerned that a generation of students is being exposed to a narrow, politicised, and deeply biased account of complex global conflicts. Exam boards must ensure political neutrality – not reward those who regurgitate the preferred narrative. Ofsted inspections must cover this”
The NJA calls for a full review of all GCSE and A-Level materials across subjects to ensure they are free of political bias and uphold the core educational values of balance, truth, and integrity.
