Ministers should legislate for a 150-metre “buffer zone” to prevent protests directly outside schools and better support leaders facing “flashpoints”, the government-commissioned Khan review has said. of social cohesion warned “numerous intimidatory protests outside schools” had left “teaching staff and pupils frightened”. Michael Gove Schools also face a lack of guidance on how to teach contentious issues, prompting fears teachers will “shy away” from some topics. Levelling-up secretary Michael Gove said Dame Sara Khan was “right about the need for new government architecture to protect our democracy and tackle threats to cohesion. Rapid work is currently underway that will do just that. “I will publish the government’s full response to the Khan Review before Parliament rises for the summer break.” Here’s what we learned. 1. Publish figures on scale of teacher harassment The review found a 鈥渨ide-spread phenomenon of extreme forms of harassment leading individuals into silence, self-censoring, or abandoning their democratic rights鈥. Khan dubbed this 鈥渇reedom-restricting harassment鈥, which 鈥渋nvolves but is not limited to, acts of doxing, inciting hatred and violence against individuals and their families, sending death and rape threats, and other forms of threatening behaviour鈥. This form of harassment and resultant censorship 鈥渋s creating a 鈥榗hilling impact鈥 on freedom of expression and other democratic freedoms鈥. A poll conducted for the review found 44 per cent of respondents had witnessed this type of harassment online, and 44 per cent said they鈥檇 seen it in person. Recommendation: Department for Education should collect and publish figures of the scale of targeting and harassment experienced by schools and teachers. 2. Batley RE teacher shows need for school protest buffer zone The review warned victims of such harassment suffered 鈥渄evastating impacts yet are often not treated as victims or offered the support they need鈥. The impact on the religious studies teacher at Batley Grammar School 鈥 where the use of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad prompted protests and threats – 鈥減rovides a harrowing example鈥. The review found the teacher faced an 鈥渙nline and offline campaign of intimidation and abuse鈥 including 鈥渋ncitement to violence against both him and his family鈥. He . The teacher鈥檚 trauma was also 鈥渃ompounded by the lack of support and care by local agencies鈥. 鈥淚n failing to understand the seriousness of the incident, he was let down by all the agencies involved, most notably Kirklees Council, West Yorkshire Police and the Batley Multi Academy Trust.鈥 The trust said it was 鈥渄isappointed by today鈥檚 report鈥, and did not 鈥渞ecognise much of what is in it, its description of the events, nor the characterisation of our school and community鈥. Recommendation: Legislate for a 150-metre buffer zone to prevent protests immediately outside schools, with the “possible exception of pickets relating to industrial action by school staff”. 3. Cohesion Unit would help solve ‘inadequate’ guidance The review warned that 鈥渘umerous intimidatory protests outside schools which have left teaching staff and pupils frightened鈥. Many of the protests were 鈥渆xploited by Muslim fundamentalist and extremist actors鈥. These include the protests outside primary schools in Birmingham in 2019 and the protests outside Batley Grammar School in March 2021, 鈥渁mong others鈥. The lack of national guidance and support for schools in advising how best to respond to such incidents 鈥渋s inadequate鈥. Such incidents can be 鈥渇rightening and intimidating鈥. The Department for Education has a 鈥渃rucial role to play in providing guidance and resources for headteachers and wider school leaders鈥. Recommendation: Establish a Cohesion and Conflict Unit which brings together existing advice to schools “such as the teaching of fundamental British values, dealing with political impartiality and others”. It would also provide “clearer guidance and resources on other areas of conflict including when protected characteristics conflict and other controversial issues”. The unit should provide “better support and care for schools and teachers who find themselves being threatened and harassed”. This should include “immediate support for those schools and teachers who are having to deal with flashpoint incidents”. 4. Better support teachers so they don’t 鈥榮hy away鈥 from difficult issues The review heard the 鈥済rowing targeting of teachers and the teaching of controversial subjects beyond blasphemy is being increasingly viewed as too high risk鈥. For example, witnesses said there was 鈥渓ittle national guidance on teaching controversial issues often found in RS and personal, social, health and economic lessons鈥. They expressed concerns teachers would 鈥渟hy away from such topics鈥. This is 鈥渕ade worse by the lack of guidance on what should or should not be taught, what is optional and what is not鈥. 鈥淭he Department for Education cannot expect teachers to teach controversial issues without guidance and support if teachers then find themselves targeted or threatened.鈥 One example given was that the DfE recommended primary schools talk about LGBT issues, 鈥渨ithout making it clear whether it was optional or not鈥. This was seized-upon by protesters. Recommendation: The unit should issue guidance, training materials and resources to “support schools in teaching what it means to live in a diverse democracy, how to manage opposing and different opinions, how to debate well and the importance of critical thinking“. 5. Politicians 鈥榰ndermining social cohesion鈥 The review said previous cohesion reports had 鈥渟hown how the action 鈥 or lack of action 鈥 taken by political leaders, has undermined social cohesion鈥. This 鈥渃ontinues to be a problem and concerns about divisive, inflammatory language and poor political leadership were raised time and again鈥. The call for evidence raised 鈥渦neasiness about the inconsistent national policy approach to cohesion, where the political narrative of some within government was often seen as conflicting with the cohesion messaging it was trying to promote鈥. Examples of this included politicians fuelling division in the UK 鈥渂y engaging in so-called 鈥榗ulture wars鈥 for political benefits鈥. 鈥淓vidence indicates that 鈥榗ulture war鈥 debates can polarise society, increase conflict, contribute to disinformation and undermine social cohesion.鈥 Recommendation: The new conflict unit should collect cohesion data to assess the progress of key cohesion indicators e.g segregation 鈥 ethnic and other 鈥 and other relevant issues. 6. Promised Ofsted powers did not emerge The review also assessed the progress of the government鈥檚 2019 鈥渋ntegrated communities action plan鈥. It found that of 70 commitments, 14 were delivered, 14 were partially delivered or ongoing, 15 were not delivered or paused and the status of four commitments were 鈥渦nknown鈥. Furthermore, the government 鈥渄id not strengthen the enforcement regime for independent schools or strengthen Ofsted鈥檚 powers in relation to unregistered schools as promised鈥.