The country’s largest teaching union has warned that Reform UK would make education a “hostile place” for many children, with leaders saying that divisive messaging on social media is appearing in classrooms.

In response to a question from Tes, Daniel Kebede (pictured), general secretary of the NEU, said that the union has deep concerns about what a Reform government would mean for education.

“I think not only will they bring about hyper-austerity in public services, including education, they will make education a real hostile place for children who are LGBT, black, migrant, refugee,” he told reporters.

The union chief added that Reform “runs contrary, as a political organisation, to the views of our union and our profession more broadly”.

As Tes revealed earlier this month, Green Party leader Zack Polanski will address the NEU’s annual conference on its first day on Monday 30 March.

Braverman ‘not a positive force for education’

NEU leaders spoke to reporters ahead of the conference in Brighton. Asked if he thought Reform was “far Right”, Mr Kebede said that the NEU decided last year that it views Reform as “racist, far Right or similar”.

Delegates at the NEU’s 2025 conference called for the union’s political fund to be used to help campaign against Reform UK election candidates whose policies and campaigns were “racist”.

Mr Kebede also said that Suella Braverman, Reform’s education spokesperson, would not be a “particularly positive force for education”.

In response, Ms Braverman said that the comments show “everything that is wrong with our education system”.

She added: “Unions are driving down standards and failing teachers, parents and children by supporting a dumbing down of the curriculum and promoting sexualised content in our schools.”

Ms Braverman said: “Reform UK doesn’t care about your skin colour, your gender or your religion. We want a world-class education system that is built on love of our country, excellence and high standards, not ridiculous DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] policies that are poisoning the minds of young people.”

Several motions due to be debated at the NEU conference reflect members’ concerns about the far Right. One calls for the union to reaffirm its opposition to all forms of racism, fascism and far Right extremism, and to produce literature making the case against the far Right.

Mr Kebede added that Reform and its leader, Nigel Farage, are very good at pushing “divisive messages” across social media platforms.

“Children and young people are picking up on that very much, and that is certainly playing into the classroom,” he said. “We’ve seen rising incidents of racism and other forms of discrimination in schools, and that’s primarily due to a toxic environment created by those in power.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, warned at his union’s annual conference last week that students and their families are living in fear of racial harassment or violence, as he raised concerns about how some politicians talk about immigration.

Green leader to address NEU

The Green Party and Mr Polanski “align very closely” with the education policies of the NEU, Mr Kebede said.

NEU polling for Politics Home found that the Greens are now the most popular party among its members, with support for Labour having fallen significantly.

In an exclusive interview, Mr Kebede told Tes that he was “disappointed” in the Labour government so far.

On Thursday Reform launched its manifesto for the Scottish Parliament election in May. It appears to advocate an academies system for Scotland, where the vast majority of schools are currently run by local authorities.

The Reform manifesto also calls for the abolition of the curriculum development body Education Scotland, describes exclusion as “an essential tool” and seeks to “restore rigorous examination as the primary method of assessment, combined with standardised testing”.