PSHE and gay rights

[yellowdaisies]

DD (11 - Y7) told me yesterday that her PSHE teacher told the class that as she was a Christian she didn't believe in gay rights and thought gay marriage was wrong. I was quite shocked as I thought schools were a bit more progressive than that these days. This was a PSHE lesson, not an RE one. And feel for any poor child in my DD's class who's maybe thinking they are gay (or has a gay parent/sibling/etc) :( And even when I was at school they may have avoided the topic but I can't remember being told that gay people didn't have any rights Are there any guildlines on what schools are supposed to be teaching in this area? It's a private school, though not an overly religious one and it claims to follow the national curriculum for PSHE as well as other subjects.

(Am very proud of the fact that DD told me she argued with the teacher for most of the lesson :), but that's not really the point)

Private school - can do what they like

You might not want to say openly on this thread, but that school should take action - private or not.

On the bright side, your child sounds well set up for the real world and the alarming number of idiots in it.

I would complain to the school, mentioning that you feel it is a "safeguarding" issue.
I have had safeguarding training and it is not just about physical/sexual abuse - that kind of statement is damaging to any pupils who may be gay or have parents/other close friends/relatives who are gay.

Your child sounds similar to my argumentative DD (admittedly she argues with her RE teacher about what Christian's believe).

The teacher has acted totally unprofessionally if they really said that - and dangerously if they could be misunderstood to have said that.

In an ideal world I' agree with fairy as well. But there is a safeguarding issue - if a gay child ends up being bullied and kids use what this teacher said as justification for their actions that is a real problem. The trouble with these things is that you cannot assume that it is an passive expression of an opinion with no further consequences. Here the teacher is in authority and some of the kids might take a lead from what was said and start to hassle kids they think are gay. In a PSHE lesson the emphasis damn well has to be on safeguarding, not pretending this is a free speech issue with no consequence within an abstract discussion.

Thanks all

rougedad - that's kind of what I'm thinking about it really. That a teacher is in a position of autority. And most of the time they spend teaching - ie telling the children things that they know and are correct. If a child was to have put that same point of view across I'd expect the teacher to accept it as a valid point of view (for some Christians) but for the teacher herself to say that gives it a kind of authority that I don't think it deserves.

fairy - you're right that a lot does depend on wording and context - I guess the teacher might have been giving an example of how people can form opinions on things and trying to stimulate debate. It's hard to know as I wasn't there of course. Though my DD's understanding of what was said is a concern in itself, as she perceived the teacher to be teaching them something she thought was wrong. She may have argued but she didn't think she was supposed to have done so. So I'd assume others in the class are likely to have thought similarly.

There are parents evenings coming up in a few weeks so I think I'll wait til then and have a word maybe with her tutor - see if I can find out what the school thinks it's supposed to be teaching on the issue before I see what line to take with what was actually said in the PSHE lesson. Yes as a private school don't really have to answer to anyone, but I do think they're a school that likes to see itself as reasonably modern, welcomes children from all faiths or none, etc, and takes welfare and pastural care seriously.

A teachers role is much more than educating pupils but is about supporting them too. Teachers are in a position of power so their opinions can easily be adopted by other children. And teachers need to remain completely approachable to all students. I understand that people are saying to be cautious about your DD interpretation of what was said, but if your DD took that away from the lesson, then other kids have too. This teacher needs reminding it's ok to have opinions and to express them to her class but her personal opinions are secondary to the needs of her pupils. While she is being paid to do a job she needs to 'filter' her personal opinions to be suitable for a class of impressionable and vulnerable kids.