Children will be taught how to spot extremist content and fake news online in a revamp of the curriculum following last week’s riots.

Schools will use lessons such as English, ICT (information and communication technology) and maths to “arm” pupils against “putrid conspiracy theories”, the Education Secretary has said.

Bridget Phillipson told The Telegraph that pupils as young as five would be given the critical thinking skills to identify misinformation online under the new plans.

The intervention came as a 13-year-old boy was charged on Saturday with violent disorder in Manchester following trouble in the area.

Ms Phillipson said: “It’s more important than ever that we give young people the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge what they see online.

“That’s why our curriculum review will develop plans to embed critical skills in lessons to arm our children against the disinformation, fake news and putrid conspiracy theories awash on social media.

“Our renewed curriculum will always put high and rising standards in core subjects first – that’s non-negotiable. But alongside this we will create a broad, knowledge-rich curriculum that widens access to cultural subjects and gives pupils the knowledge and skills they need to thrive at work and throughout life.”

It came as Britain’s top police officer urged people to step back from social media sites that have been accused of influencing rioters, who have included youngsters.

Writing for The Telegraph, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, the chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said that “perhaps we should be deleting a lot more than we share”.

Specialist organised crime detectives have been assigned to go after influencers with large followings who have spread hate and incited violence.

The far-Right riots that have raged for a fortnight were sparked by false claims online that an asylum seeker had carried out the Southport stabbings. 

They were inflamed by “more and more sophisticated” forms of disinformation, including websites set up to imitate those of newspapers and broadcasters.

Government sources said the unrest showed the risk of young people being “sucked in to dangerous online spaces” needed to be urgently addressed.

Ms Phillipson is now reviewing the primary and secondary school curriculum, saying it was failing to “prepare enough of our children for work and for life”.

The review will look at teaching children to spot and dismiss extremist content by “embedding” critical thinking skills across lessons in multiple subjects.

The planned changes will help children identify all extremist content, including far-Left conspiracy theories and religion-based propaganda.

One example could involve using English classes to dissect newspaper reports, examining their style and use of language compared to fake news. 

That would teach children to differentiate between independent journalism and propaganda by looking out for bias and hyperbole in the latter.

In computer lessons, students are set to be taught how to identify unreliable sources of information, including spotting fake news websites by their designs.

Many propaganda sites are crude imitations of real news outlets, including those of newspapers and broadcasters, but some are becoming more realistic. 

Misinformation about the Southport attacker was amplified by Channel3 Now, which poses as a US news outlet but has been linked to Russia.

Pupils could also be equipped to spot photoshopped pictures of stories from real news websites, where the headline or body of the text has been changed.

This week a story purported to have been published by The Telegraph – but in fact fake – was shared. The fake story claimed Labour was planning to build detainment camps on the Falklands Islands to house rioters.

An image of the fabricated piece was widely shared on social media – including by Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

Maths classes could also be changed to include how to analyse statistics in context, teaching pupils to spot where figures do not back up claims they are being used to make.

The curriculum review, being led by Prof Becky Francis, will report back next year, meaning its recommendations may be introduced in September 2025.

It comes after the riots sparked fresh debate about a crackdown on social media companies that allow extremist posts to be spread on their platforms. Ministers are looking at reviving plans for legislation, abandoned by the Tories, that would force tech giants to remove or suppress “legal but harmful” content.

Whitehall sources insisted that such measures would have to go hand-in-hand with greater education around the dangers of online hate.

One said: “Ultimately, we’ve seen this week the dangers of misinformation and how people are being sucked into dangerous online spaces. We’ve got to arm kids with the tools they need now and the capability to navigate a very fractious online world that changes so quickly.”

Mr Stephens said the riots showed “how vulnerable we all are to disinformation and vile hatred online”. He added: “We have spoken in recent years about how to keep our children safe online, and what we have learned this week is that left unchecked misinformation and harmful posts can undermine all our safety.

“How we behave online is not abstract. It has real-world consequences. Perhaps we should be deleting a lot more than we share.”

Mr Stephens, who held talks with the King on Friday, warned people who have incited violence online that they should prepare for “a knock at your door”.

He added that the number of people being arrested and charged would “undoubtedly rise significantly” as officers combed through footage of the riots. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has said regional organised crime units are “investigating hundreds of leads” concerning social media influencers.

The older sister of a six-year-old girl who was killed in the Southport stabbings saw the attack and escaped, her parents have said.

Bebe King died alongside nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, after the stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in the Merseyside town on July 29.

In a statement, Lauren and Ben King, Bebe’s parents, said she was “full of joy, light, and love, and she will always remain in our hearts as the sweet, kind and spirited girl we adore”.

They revealed that their older daughter Genie, aged nine, had witnessed the attack, and paid tribute to her “incredible strength and courage”.

In their statement, released through Merseyside Police, they said: “We want to acknowledge our older daughter, Genie, who witnessed the attack and managed to escape. She has shown such incredible strength and courage, and we are so proud of her.

“Her resilience is a testament to the love and bond she shared with her little sister, and we will continue to support her as we navigate this painful journey together as a family.

“Our beloved Bebe, only six years old, was full of joy, light, and love, and she will always remain in our hearts as the sweet, kind, and spirited girl we adore. The outpouring of love and support from our community and beyond has been a source of incredible comfort during this unimaginably difficult time.

“From the pink lights illuminating Sefton and Liverpool to the pink bows, flowers, balloons, cards, and candles left in her memory, we have been overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion shown to our family.

“The response from Southport, the whole of Liverpool, and even further afield has deeply touched our hearts, and we are so grateful to everyone who has reached out to us.”

The King family thanked the emergency services and those who have paid tribute to their daughter as they begin to deal with their “unimaginable loss” of their “shimmering star”.

“Our thoughts are also with everyone else involved in this tragedy and all those who were injured,” they said. “We hope that they find strength and healing in the days ahead.

“To the children who witnessed this terrible event, we send our love and hope that they too can begin to heal, surrounded by the care and support of those who love them. To the emergency services, who acted with such care and professionalism on that terrible day, thank you.

“Your support has continued as you have looked after our family with compassion and dedication, and we will forever be grateful for the way you have helped us through this harrowing time.

“To our community, friends, and strangers who have shown us such love: thank you. Your messages, your tributes, and your presence have meant the world to us, and have helped us find some solace in our grief.

“We are also thinking of Elsie and Alice’s families, who are sharing in this unimaginable loss, and we hold them close in our hearts. Our hearts are broken, but we find some comfort in knowing that Bebe was so deeply loved by all who knew her. She will forever be our shimmering star, and we will carry her with us in everything we do.”

Following the stabbings, a 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of three counts of murder. He has also been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder after eight other children and two adults were seriously injured.

The suspect, who could not initially be identified due to his age, was later named as Axel Rudakubana. It was ruled that his name could be made public following applications from the media by Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC.

The judge said he was mindful of “misinformation” that had spread regarding the suspect’s identity.

Social media speculation had incorrectly reported that Rudakubana was a Muslim and had arrived in the UK illegally on a small boat. This misinformation spread and sparked far-Right protests across the country.

In recent days, counter-protests have outnumbered planned far-Right gatherings.

Cardiff-born Rudakubana has been remanded in youth detention until his next court appearance.

A 32-year-old man has been accused of attempting to murder a nine-year-old girl who was shot as she had a meal with her family at a restaurant in Hackney, east London.

The child was shot at a Turkish restaurant by a man on a motorbike, who fired at least four rounds towards the restaurant on May 29, leaving her critically injured. Three men were also wounded.

Javon Reily, from Farnborough, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday to face four counts of attempted murder. He was remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on Sep 6.

Mr Reily had been arrested during a vehicle stop in Chelsea Embankment on Aug 9, more than two months after the shooting.

‘Praying for her full recovery’

The parents of the girl, who has not been identified, have said she may never “speak or move properly” again. She remains in hospital in a stable condition. The three other victims, aged 37, 42 and 44, are no longer in hospital.

In a statement released by the Metropolitan Police last month, the girl’s family said: “We are devastated about what has happened. Our daughter remains stable but in a critical condition.

“She only went there for ice-cream and now we do not know if we will ever get our daughter back to being the smart, funny girl that she was before, and whether she will be able to ever speak or move properly again.

“We need our child back and we are all praying for her full recovery.”

Katie Price has been warned by a judge she must attend court “no ifs, no buts, no going on holiday”.

The former glamour model, 46, was arrested on Thursday after ignoring a bankruptcy hearing last week to have a £10,000 facelift in Turkey. Police detained Price when she and her eldest son, Harvey, 22, landed at Heathrow.

Ms Price was declared bankrupt for a second time in March over an unpaid £750,000 tax bill to the HMRC. She was previously instructed to give up several cars, including her pink Range Rover, and to pay 40 per cent of her earnings from the adult entertainment platform OnlyFans.

Wearing a beige outfit and a black head bandage, Ms Price appeared at a specialist bankruptcy court on Friday.

During the short hearing in London, Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Daniel Schaffer ordered Ms Price to give an “undertaking” to the court that she would attend a further hearing to face questions over her finances on Aug 27 at 10.30am.

He said: “You have to attend that date, no ifs or buts, no going abroad, no holidays.”

Accompanied by another woman throughout the hearing, Ms Price confirmed that she understood and added: “I will move my diary for it.”

Ms Price, who attended via video link from an office of High Court enforcement staff at the Royal Courts of Justice nearby, sat with her arms around her legs and her feet on the chair.

At one point she asked the judge whether she could attend the hearing later this month remotely, as she found it “difficult in a court”, saying: “Am I able to do it by Zoom or in a side room?”

“No,” the judge replied, adding that she could apply to attend remotely and “it does not take Einstein to do it”.

Ms Price said that she did not have legal representation, telling the court: “I have tried to get legal advice but have been charged £50,000 upfront.”

She continued: “I can’t get legal aid because I earn. I don’t know what to do on this,” and later added: “I have been asking for legal representation for all of this and no one would do it.”

She was bailed on Thursday night, with Judge Schaffer discharging an arrest warrant at the end of the hearing.

Ms Price had been due to face questions over her finances from barristers representing the trustee of both bankruptcies on July 30 but did not attend the hearing.

During that hearing, Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Catherine Burton had issued an arrest warrant for Ms Price, claiming she received “very clear warnings” that she must attend court.

The court was told that it had been reported that Ms Price had travelled to Turkey, with Judge Burton describing the reason for her absence as “irrelevant” and claiming that she had “no real excuse” for failing to attend.

She said that while a warrant was not issued “lightly”, Ms Price had offered only “piecemeal co-operation” and failed to provide the “most basic information” in relation to her bankruptcies.