Adults are wrong to criticise ‘woke’ children, says Benenden head

What a mean thing to say

No, it isn't mean. I think girls at schools like this are under huge amounts of pressure to conform to rigid standards. The head talks about the 'Everyone's Invited' campaign, but I think there is no difference between being told that your boundaries don't matter by a boy who is captain of the rugby team ('Are you frigid or a lesbian'?) and a boy who insists that boundaries don't matter because they are gender fluid/also a lesbian (Are you a bigot?).

I agree that many teenagers are just thoughtful and intelligent when they talk about climate change and inclusion, but I don't agree that girls at a £40K a year school are intrinsically more able to teach adults who are also thoughtful and intelligent, but have the added benefit of life experience.

Benenden has always been achingly progressive,

Hopefully all the other girls’ heads attending the conference will disagree with her assessment that “parents need to be helped to understand”…

Private girls’ schools have been forced to think about this issue already and decide where they stand. Even the ones who pay lip service to it, won’t admit boys and if challenged, are always able to justify reasons for keeping them out even if it’s something as banal as “we don’t think Jazz is the right fit for our school”.

There probably will be a test case at some point somewhere but on the whole single sex private schools are the safest environment for girls in the current climate, which is an outrageous state of affairs.

I have plenty of issues with gender politics but her central message of not dismissing or mocking teens is quite right.

My own teens are 'woke' and they seem thoughtful and intelligent even if we don't always see eye to eye on everything.

I agree with her.

Don't get me started on Shell sponsoring an exhibition for children on the theme of "you are the key to solving the climate crisis." No Shell, I think you as a giant energy company can do more than my 5 year old actually.

Very true!

JK Rowling for example (and probably a lot of women on here) is a perfect example of someone behaving like a kind, calm adult.

I do hope the school is prepaired for the fall out of being mix sexed then. Pregnancy, rape/sex assult, mental health issues and distraught (and litigious) parents.

I suspect she has not thought this through.

There is a lot of force teaming going on in that article. For what its worth I don't think turning this into a battle of the generations is helpful - the situation at Sussex Uni was portrayed in some parts of the media as a woke snowflake issue. But while some of the students did behave awfully, its interesting they were incited to do so initially by other lecturers - who are probably older than me.

And just re climate - which ALWAYS comes up as the biggest issue young people are concerned with on surveys. We don't need to "keep up with their views" on the issue. The adults, in positions of power, need to actually tackle the crisis before its too late. I know that's of topic but I remember the "young people will solve this" mantra from when I was a child and its infuriating because it just breeds inertia. (Don't get me started on Shell sponsoring an exhibition for children on the theme of "you are the key to solving the climate crisis." No Shell, I think you as a giant energy company can do more than my 5 year old actually.
Sorry for the rant - but I think this all ties into a general trend of older people to basically abdicate the responsibility for being adults. Which is also an issue with the gender ID situation. And children NEED responsible adults.

Is she not very bright? Mate of Nancy Kelley? She really is making herself look like an absolute melt.

Private school education has become eye-wateringly expensive, and I would hope parents will question whether this represents a value-for-money, because personally I'd be livid with the lack of critical thinking.

Must be fun in Latin grammar lessons.

And as for her nonsense about people not caring about climate change unless they're allowed to promulgate gender bullshit, don't even get me started.

I’m sure that for many girls who attend these schools it’s just another thing to get ‘right’

• A grades ✔️
• Hockey team ✔️
• right hair✔️
• extra curricular activities for UCAS✔️
• #be kind✔️

Well I don't think name calling is good

But I do think you should criticise or challenge poor behaviour or attitudes

And that includes calling out people who are protecting /promoting some disadvantaged groups at the expense of others

Or calling out those demonstrating agist sexist behaviour by ignoring older women

She chairs the girls schools association committee on inclusion

Splutter £40k annual fees.

What she says is reported across all the mainstream press

Interested to see how children can be so concerned about sexism when we’re not supposed to talk about there being only 2 sexes or how their way of challenging sexism appears to be accepting someone who adopts a ton of sex based stereotypes is somehow now the opposite sex

Well that's good news assuming that she is correct in her assertion that if we dismiss woke gender id bs children will give up on it.
Though I would love to know how she thinks promoting gender id will fit in with protecting girls when we all know that it puts them at risk

Well they dint know what the correct protected characteristics are
www.benenden.school/our-school/equality-and-diversity

She chairs the girls schools association committee on inclusion