UK Youth is proud to support the newly launched Commission on Countering Online Conspiracy in Schools.

The commission, announced by Pears Foundation and Public First, will explore how online conspiracy theories, as well as misinformation and disinformation, are manifesting in the classroom, with Ndidi Okezie OBE, UK Youth chief executive officer, appointed as one of the commissioners.. 

Chaired by Sir Trevor Pears, Pears Foundation executive chairman, and Sir Mufti Hamid Patel, Star Academies chief executive officer, the commission has kicked off perhaps the biggest inquiry into how online conspiracy theories, as well as misinformation and disinformation, are manifesting in the classroom. 

The project will use qualitative and quantitative research with students, teachers and parents to find out how each group understands the problem and how they think it should be tackled. The commission will also hold a number of expert evidence sessions. 

Funded by the Pears Foundation with a secretariat provided by Public First, the work of the commission and the inquiry will be squarely located in schools. It will ask how schools and teachers can be supported to best counter the threat of various conspiracies and disinformation campaigns among their students. 

The commission has been clear the output of this work must be helpful to school staff and school leaders, and specifically not add to their workload or pressure. It will report in autumn.

Alongside Ms Okezie, Sir Trevor and Sir Mufti Hamid, commissioners include: Helena Brothwell, senior multi-academy trust executive; Prof Arthur Chapman, UCL Institute of Education professor of history education; Gareth Conyard, Teacher Development Trust CEO; Smita Jamdar, Shakespeare Martineau partner and head of education; Chris Morris, Full Fact CEO; Dame Alison Peacock, Chartered College of Teaching CEO; Melanie Renowden, National Institute of Teaching CEO; Sara Sinaguglia, UCL Centre for Holocaust Education assistant vice-principal of teaching and learning; Rachel Sylvester, The Times education commission chairman and columnist, and Simone Vibert, Internet Matters head of policy and research.

Sir Trevor said: “We initiated this commission because of concerns about the increased spread of disinformation and conspiracy belief among younger age groups.

“It is alarming that there appears to be little support to help schools better understand their students’ online lives and how to respond to conspiracy beliefs when they appear in the classroom.

“We hope to shed light on these issues and provide recommendations that will give practical support to schools, parents and policy-makers.

“From young people’s wellbeing, to education to mental health, this commission sits at the intersection of a number of areas in which Pears Foundation has invested for more than two decades. I look forward to hearing from the experts and engaging with the findings.” 

Sir Mufti Hamid said: “School leaders and teachers know just how pressing an issue online conspiracy and misinformation has become in the lives of the young people we educate.

“However, we need to know more about the problem and how we, as educators, can support our students to better understand the stories they are presented with and differentiate them from reality. I hope the commission will make a substantial contribution to this cause.”

Ed Dorrell, partner at Public First said: “This is one of the most interesting projects the education practice at Public First has ever been asked to undertake.

“We know empirically that online conspiracy, misinformation and disinformation are proving to be a huge challenge for schools and teachers, but to date no-one has ever attempted to really find out what’s going on using the type of methodology Public First excels at.

“We ground all of our work in the lives of teachers and students and are determined the output of this project should be no different. We want this to be actionable and useful for school staff, educationalists and policy-makers alike.”

UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 8,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org 

UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability, including Hatch. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes