Responding to the education secretary's interview in which she said the government's curriculum review will include a focus on equipping children to spot disonformation and conspiracy theories online, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said:

"Learning to identify trustworthy sources of information has always been essential in schools and critical thinking skills are not new to education - I doubt the secretary of state is suggesting that they are.

"The challenge of the internet and misinformation online has been an increasing issue for young people and people of all ages long before the recent disorder.

"The announcement of the curriculum review pre-dated the riots and such skills would no doubt have been part of the review even before the events of the last fortnight.

"Anything to reinforce their place in the curriculum has to be positive - what is less helpful is any narrative which implies that this is just an issue for schools. 

"The misinformation which has fuelled this shocking disorder has influenced people across a wide range of ages and tackling this will of course require a much broader response."