The Rainbow Flag Award

[Thedownstream]

DCs’ Primary school has announced it is looking to obtain the Rainbow Flag Award. This is a certification run by The Proud Trust which recognises schools who promote LGBT+ inclusion through their curriculum, both in specific lessons and indirectly in other lessons. Of course the school also has to pay for the privilege of this certification - between £800 and £2000 exc. Vat depending on the package chosen.

DCs’ school is very pro LGBT+ and has had external campaign groups in for “Pride Days” previously which usually end with children telling my female DC9 that she should really be a boy, because she likes football and gaming.

DC9 did go through a period of telling us she was a boy, but having met girls like her at sports outside of school she seems to be out the other side of that. I’m conscious though with lots of talk of “gender identity” and potentially more campaign groups visiting the school she could potentially have ideas put in her head again, from both the adults speaking and also children making comments to her having been fed a load of nonsense about Gender Identity 🙄.

I’ve only researched this issue because of DD but I feel so strongly that schools should be telling children that their sex does not define them and that they can dress however they want, like whatever they like, and be whoever they want regardless of their sex. How can you send that message convincingly whilst also talking about the concept of gender identity?

Anyway, I digress…

The purpose of my post if to ask what would you do about this in my position? There is a Feedback Forum coming up in a couple of weeks (tick box exercise) where this is an agenda item. Do I go to this and strongly state my objections (likely as a loan voice as I’m not sure many other parents are aware / bothered about what this means as it’s not their child that is affected). Do I just let it lie and let it happen and hope DD is secure enough in herself to not take any notice?

YANBU - raise your objections, don’t let this lie , perhaps try to get other parents to understand the issue and come onside even if you are seen as the parent troublemaker.

YABU - you have multiple kids to go through this school, this is not your hill to die on, keep your head down and don’t make a fuss.

You should raise your objections if that's how you feel. It doesn't really matter if you happen to be the lone voice. These policies and the actions taken by the school to align with policies have already had an impact on your child and you have the right to express your feelings, opinions and concerns regardless of what other people feel and how they see this issue.

The other thing is you don't know that you would be the lone voice. There could be many others who don't say anything but feel the same way, so you should definitely do what feels right to you.

I would raise objections. If you don’t feel you want to do it in a public forum, request a meeting with the head.

I’ve just had a little search on the Proud Trust and there is a critique of the organisation on the Transgender Trend website that’s interesting.

This is a primary school? I’d raise it with the LEA and check what the school is doing against the DfE guidelines. Then remove my kids if nothing changed.

My first thought was what school has that kind of money to spend on this before additional books, teaching supplies etc.

Yes it’s a primary school and no
they don’t appear to have enough reading books for the kids so I don’t know where they are finding this money. It’s even more awkward if I say anything as it’s DC5’s teacher who is leading the charge on this.

I’m sorry the misguided leadership at your child’s primary school has placed you in this position. This is all highly inappropriate. Test the water by requesting a face to face meeting with the head (as a PP has suggested)? Although I suspect the head is highly involved in this already…