![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Estonia-inset-computer-room600px.jpg\")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCovering an area about a third of the size of England, and with a population of just 1.4 million, Estonia\u2019s education system ranks high in international league tables.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Perched beside the huge mass of Russia, the small Baltic state has also been on the frontline of the Kremlin\u2019s propaganda war for decades.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
It has had to embed resilience to mis- and disinformation into its education system. So it seems a natural place to turn as the issue grows in England.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe are also, in the UK, at times attacked by Russia: cyber warfare, misinformation, disinformation, and the attempts to interfere with our political processes,\u201d MacAlister tells pupils.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo there’s lots for us to learn about what you’re doing in classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Misinformation (information that\u2019s wrong or inaccurate) and disinformation (incorrect information intended to deliberately mislead) do not, of course, come solely from Russia.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Nor are they solely political. For example, conspiracy theories can cover anything from beauty and wellbeing trends to the effect of vaccines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Half of English pupils and teachers affected<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools<\/a> was set up in 2024 to tackle the growing problem. It is run by Public First and the Pears Foundation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Research by the commission suggests that over half of young people in England have encountered someone in class or online who believes in a conspiracy theory.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Meanwhile half of teachers said they were at least moderately worried about a pupil who had expressed a belief in a conspiracy in class.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The impact can be seismic. In 2024, online misinformation helped fuel far-right protests and riots across the country following the Southport stabbings. Over 1,500 people were arrested, many of them children.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But it\u2019s likely that a lot of misinformation is more insidious, going unidentified and unchallenged.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n An Ofcom report last spring found the proportion of English teens who feel confident judging what is real or fake online has fallen from 82 per cent in 2022, to three-quarters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s against this backdrop the commission organised the three-day research trip to Estonia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I joined them as they visited schools across Tallinn and in Kohtla-J\u00e4rve, near the Russian border, and met those working to address the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy content among young people.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The first school we visit is Pelgulinna Riigig\u00fcmnaasium, an upper secondary in western Tallinn.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The vast new building is mainly timber and beautifully designed, more like a modern art museum than a school.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Inside, warm lighting, exposed wood, high ceilings and cushioned seats set in nooks around the building give it a pleasant, soothing atmosphere.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWe have been in the information war since at least the 2000s,\u201d principal Indrek Lillem\u00e4gi tells us as he shows us around.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cMisinformation, the Kremlin influence \u2013 it has been here I think longer than in most European societies.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To help tackle this, all upper secondary (year 10 or 11) pupils in Estonia have, since 2010, had to take a compulsory \u201cmedia and influence\u201d course.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It teaches them about different media outlets, how to differentiate fact from fiction or opinion, and to engage with information with a critical eye.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Lillem\u00e4gi leads us to a classroom where we meet media literacy teacher Gertrud Kasemaa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n She teaches pupils \u201cabout different media genres\u2026 how to how to spot misinformation, how to recognise fake news\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Media organisations also get involved, she says, by visiting Estonian schools and hosting school visits.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This works well for both, as media outlets are keen to raise their profile and establish \u201ca new generation of newspaper readers\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n On top of this, \u201cdigital competence\u201d is one of eight key competencies the Estonian national curriculum says teachers are expected to weave through every subject.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n At Rae G\u00fcmnaasium in J\u00fcri, 10 miles south-east of the capital, history and social science teacher Roman Kasak tells us he does this constantly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Each lesson, a different pupil is tasked with finding an article in the media that\u2019s relevant to what is being covered, then to \u201clook for its credibility, analyse who is the author, what\u2019s their background, and how can this influence what they\u2019re saying?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One pupil tells us how her Estonian class was recently asked to use ChatGPT to write \u201cwrong articles\u201d, to \u201cteach us how easy it is to have misleading information\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Her article was on a classic Estonian film. \u201cBut everything was wrong about it, the characters, the plot,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is so easy to give misleading information.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another pupil told us how his science class had tested out the so-called \u201cplastic snow\u201d conspiracy which recently made headlines in the US, after people tried burning snow but found it appeared to char. (Reader, it was not plastic.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Teachers say the success of the approach depends on individual educators, and their own enthusiasm for \u2013 and knowledge of \u2013 the area. One said younger teachers appear \u201cmore open to it\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThere are teachers who have worked in their subjects for 20 years, and they’re not changing all that much,\u201d he added, though he said even those teachers are \u201ctrying to integrate it\u201d and \u201crecognising where the curriculum is moving.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Research by the Pears Foundation commission showed that young people, parents and teachers in England feel teachers are well placed to intervene on conspiracy theories and misinformation, yet many teachers described occasions when they had felt ill-equipped to do so.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When asked by MacAlister if teachers generally feel \u201ccomfortable\u201d challenging disinformation in class, one young teacher at Rae G\u00fcmnaasium agreed it can be tricky.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIt\u2019s a little difficult if you have students with very different beliefs about a topic,\u201d he said. \u201cI find it most difficult if I have to give my own opinion without trying to influence anyone in the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To help address this, an association of media literacy teachers was set up last year, with a long-term aim of supporting all teachers to integrate media literacy into their lessons.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But digital literacy is not rigorously assessed, and the Estonian school system is highly autonomous.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Public First\u2019s Sally Burtonshaw asked Lillem\u00e4gi how the government checks that everybody is delivering media literacy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIt is not checked,\u201d the headteacher shrugged.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cBut this is the story of Estonian education,\u201d he added. \u201cMost things are not checked. We just trust schools. We just trust that schools try to fill in the national curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n He said foreign visitors often seem interested in how the government decides if money has been well spent, but said this was not something he has otherwise considered, and the government \u201cdoesn\u2019t ask\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cSometimes the quality is not good, but often it is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s certainly a very different approach to that in the UK. But it seems to be working.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n At the school in \u00d5ism\u00e4e, MacAlister, the ambassador and commission joined pupils in a discussion around mis- and disinformation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n They agreed it was widespread, but said while their parents \u2013 the majority of whom are Russian speakers \u2013 struggle to work out what\u2019s real and what isn\u2019t, they generally can.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cI think it’s, like, our skill right now that we can like identify the disinformation,\u201d one girl told me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWe are taught to check the facts, find the data,\u201d her classmate chimed in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cOur teacher teaches us to check all the information you get from different sources. You should check, like, twice, or many times.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Of course, they can\u2019t always tell the fake news from the real. They laugh and agree when I say I\u2019ve been fooled more times than I care to admit, by videos of dancing babies and cats doing things they have no business doing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But they appear to be approaching the information they\u2019re encountering \u2013 whether through social media, adverts, or partisan news outlets \u2013 with an appropriate level of cynicism.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The story was the same at each of the four schools we visited.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Posting on LinkedIn after the trip, MacAlister said: “Estonia is on the frontline of Russia’s propaganda war…and there are lessons we can learn to better equip our own children to spot conspiracy theories and improve media literacy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Schools Week<\/em>\u00a0was not permitted to interview the minister during or after the trip about what he had learned.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n However, the Department for Education said it had been \u201cinteresting to note that there is little public debate in Estonia regarding phones in schools or social media use\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cMinister MacAlister explored with ministers, teachers, pupils and experts how Estonia builds resilience to mis- and disinformation and conspiracy theories,\u201d the DfE said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Referring to protests over the moving of a Soviet-era statue, it added: \u201cEducation Minister Kristina Kallas explained how Estonia had 20 years’ experience in this area, dating back to the \u2018Bronze Soldier\u2019 riots and cyber-attack in 2007. Estonia has used the time since to build resilience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cShe noted a constant need to adapt, referencing wide-spread misinformation during Covid, and AI\u2019s impact.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But to work in a country like England, with about 50 times as many schools and a far more rigid curriculum, a different, less hands-off approach is likely to be needed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Summing up its findings from the trip, Public First pointed out that for Estonia, particularly since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, media literacy \u201cis seen as a genuine line of defence\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The need to tackle mis- and disinformation online and protect young people from it \u201cfeels tangible\u201d and is widely understood.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Young people appear \u201chighly informed\u201d and, like their teachers, see mis- and disinformation \u201cas a threat which they should and could manage\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But the autonomous nature of the Estonian system means \u201cthere is not one consistent approach\u201d and \u201cas a result it was hard to draw conclusions from any one intervention or approach\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Currently in England, media literacy is covered in in citizenship (KS3 and 4), RSHE, computing, English, and in the optional GCSE media studies.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But the curriculum and assessment review<\/a>, in recommendations accepted by the government<\/a>, said this should be strengthened.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It said citizenship should be added to the national curriculum for primary, and media literacy \u201cbetter specified\u201d in its primary and secondary curriculum.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The government says the new RSHE curriculum will also cover \u201chow advertising and information is targeted at children and young people, and how to be a discerning consumer of information online\u201d, and to understand the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “At home, we’re taking action,\u201d said MacAlister in a statement after the trip.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cOur updated curriculum will ensure every child learns to identify mis- and disinformation from an early age and our Educate Against Hate website continues to provide schools and parents with free, high-quality resources as part of the government\u2019s wider work to build social cohesion.”<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ministers are looking overseas to help tackle a growing problem in England's schools<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314902,"featured_media":242863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[239],"post-theme":[2398],"class_list":["post-242960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-profiles","tag-education-policy","post-theme-schools"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Estonis-snowy-inset-800px.jpg\")
\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Estonia-Pelgulinnna-building-inset-800px.jpg\")
\r\nCompulsory media and influence course<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-12-at-153832.jpeg\")
\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-06-at-155718-970x678.png\")
\r\nDiffering levels of teacher enthusiasm<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Eastonia-chess-desks-600px.jpg\")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLow accountability<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Eastonia-snow-outside-600px.jpg\")
\r\nPupils confident at spotting disinformation<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Estonia-inset-building-2600px.jpg\")
\r\n‘There are lessons we can learn’<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Will it work for England?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Josh-MacAlister-Estonia-DFE-Ext.jpg\")
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