Help me object to 'No Outsiders'

[Mrsbadger77]

Sorry I'm not too sure where to post this but I know some of you wise ones will be knowledgeable on this!

I've just found out my daughter's school will be teaching the No Outsiders programme. So far the media has painted any objectors as homophobic Muslims, which is very unfair. I am very worried about some of the content of this programme ie the gender identity lesson plans and the impact it may have on single sex spaces and safeguarding.
I wish to contact the HT and find out a few things. Is it reasonable to ask to see the lesson plans before teaching takes place and to find out when it's being taught? Also I've read some really worrying stuff about Andrew Moffat the author and I'm sure I read somewhere that the underlying academic theory behind it all is somehow linked to paedophila?! Surely that can't be right? How do I raise concerns without coming across as a hysterical bigot? What are some good questions to ask the HT to show I actually know what I'm talking about? I tend to get a bit tongue tied about it.

See this thread, which is all about "No Outsiders":

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3567446-I-thought-I-couldnt-be-shocked-anymore-No-Outsiders-programme?pg=1

What are some good questions to ask the HT to show I actually know what I'm talking about? I tend to get a bit tongue tied about it.

Ask the HT why the 'No Outsiders' has so few resources about sex-based stereotypes /sexism given that sex is a protected characteristic & why there are so many resources focussed on gender/gender identity which is not one of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010. In the books, the author quotes the EA legislation & then switches from sex to gender/gender identity.

You could also check that the HT is aware of the legislation as this informs all diversity & inclusion policies. Many councils, schools, charities & businesses hav also been wrongly quoting this legislation. When identified the vast majority have corrected.

There are 9 protected characteristics.
Info here:
womansplaceuk.org/sex-is-a-protected-characteristic/

This article by Shelley Charlesworth is worth reading:
www.transgendertrend.com/no-outsiders-queering-primary-classroom/

Other helpful threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3385878-anyone-know-about-the-no-outsiders-in-our-schools-book-pack

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3527616-my-princess-boy-read-to-year-6

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3516346-Compulsory-trans-lessons-in-primary-schools-what-will-this-involve

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3516454-twinkl-has-fallen-for-the-rainbow-guff

Other posters can tell you about the arguments.

As a school governor myself, I can tell you about how to get the school thinking pretty bloody hard about this (and when they do engage brains you know they won't continue down this path, so you need this).

HTs are incredibly overworked. When you start being awkward their first reaction will be "Oh FFS". You have to make it worth the extra hassle of doing something to the HT.

To make a change you probably need:

1. Enough parents complaining that the HT realises this can't be easily brushed off.
2. Safeguarding risks highlighted in writing from multiple people so the HT has the fear. Influential people very helpful here.
3. Alternative material provided, from Transgender Trend perhaps, so the HT has an easy way to change the lesson plans at short notice.

Find out who the governors are who have oversight of safeguarding and of SEND (the autism angle). Make damn sure they understand the dangers to the children (governors really do care about the children) and they understand the long term risk to the reputation of the school if they end up being a ROGD centre (wrong side of history, legal challenges later, "how did anyone ever think this was right, where was the governing body!", in years to come the governors potentially being seen as letting harm having been done to children when obviously this is harmful shite).

Find other schools locally that have gone Transgender Trend instead. See if you can get them to influence your school: I expect the staff of a non-Kool-Aid school will be keen to help your school. They have obviously seen the danger to children; teachers care about children a lot and will get involved if you make it easy for them (totally knackered generally so you have to help them).

Article about Safeguarding by a school governor ExcelPope:
(extract)
"I spend a lot of time designing policies and procedures, and what I tell people is this:- Imagine a worst-case scenario occurs. There is an official investigation, where you’re asked “What did you do to prevent this happening?”. Now imagine what answer you’d like to be able to give to that question in that scenario – that’s the starting point for writing your policies.

In that vein, here’s a scenario.

You are the head-teacher of a secondary school, with pupils aged 11-18. A police officer arrives at the school and asks to speak to you. They have found a video on a porn site which shows the changing-rooms at your school, including a number of girls, who appear to be aged 13-15, in various states of undress. It has clearly been filmed with a concealed camera-phone.

The video has been taken down, but not before it had tens of thousands of views. The account that posted it has been traced to a student at the school who identifies themselves as trans and was, in accordance with the guidance, allowed to use the female changing rooms.

The police need a female member of staff to view the video with them, to identify the 20 or 30 teenage girls who appear in it, so that they and their parents can be informed that they have been victims of voyeurism.

What did you do to prevent this happening?

The answers that Twitter has thrown up so far don’t seem to be very good answers to that questions. Assertions that it could never happen, that nobody could or would fake being trans just to get access to female spaces, and a strong suggestion that simply asking the question is bigoted, or even “dangerous”.

There are around 2.2 million males aged 13-18 in the UK, no matter how much experience you have with children, with trans people, with trans-children, you cannot absolutely assert that none of them will abuse, or attempt to abuse, the guidance given in a manner that infringes of the rights of other students.

This isn’t about demonising all trans people, or suggesting that any given one of them would act in such a manner. This is about the risk presented by the guidance itself, whether that risk can be mitigated in a manner which is proportional to the potential seriousness of the outcome and whether the risk is, in part or in whole, outweighed by the risks of not implementing the guidance" (continues)

excelpope.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/the-unaskable-question/

Good luck OP. I’m in a different location and don’t face any of this (luckily). Trans people are fine but elements of trans ideology are truly alarming (I feel the same re Catholics and Catholicism... and I’m Catholic).

I spoke to the deputy head of my children’s primary school about this as a heads up - the school haven’t been thinking about it yet. We have a large Muslim population so I included information about the difficulties they would have with the program. I also found it useful to go with the personal angle and make it clear that DC would be taken out of lessons for SRE if there would be any mention of gender identity - ideas of a spreading movement of parents opposed to this is pretty persuasive and might make schools rethink.

I can't thank you enough. I had been thinking about governors tbh. That may be a better route to go down. I need to get on it before the new term starts.

School Governors have ultimate responsibility for their school, for all pupils and all staff. This also recognises the position of the school within its community & the especial importance of parents/carers

March 2019 'Governance Handbook'
(extract)
2.4 Parental engagement and community leadership
14. As the strategic leaders of their organisations it is vital that boards are connected with, and answerable to, the communities they serve, particularly parents/carers.
15. Parental engagement can have a large and positive impact on children’s learning. It should not be confused with parental representation on a board and neither should it be seen as a one-off exercise for organisations. Boards should ensure that their organisation is regularly communicating with parents and carers and that parental engagement is used by the board to inform their strategic decision-making. Communications with parents and carers should be clear in supporting them to understand the structure of the school, how it operates, and how they can support their child’s education.
16. All boards should assure themselves that mechanisms are in place for their organisation to engage meaningfully with all parents and carers. Parents and carers should be able to use these mechanisms to put forward their views at key points in their child's education. Boards should aim to build productive relationships, not only with parents and carers but also with the local community to create a sense of trust and shared ownership of the organisation’s strategy, vision and operational performance. (continues)

drive.google.com/file/d/1m--EHlP4bbKhH94BhT369e-1y07iS5TE/view

WPUK
'A Woman's Place takes nerves of steel (Sheffield, 20th September 2018) Michele Moore'

"Professor Michele Moore is an expert in Inclusive Education and Disability Studies. She leads human rights projects across the world to support children, their families and those who work with them. She is the Co-Editor of the ground-breaking book Transgender Children and Young People, Born in Your Own Body from Cambridge Scholars. Michele will be discussing ideas from the book – the implications of self-declaration of gender for children and young people, including disabled children"

How did you find out the school were going to be teaching this?

Most headteachers have no idea about the issues with this. They have completely followed the Guardian 'this is about homophobia and nothing else* line. It is a huge problem that homophobic groups are challenging this as it becomes harder to challenge the main issues:

I spoke the other day with a Headteacher who was (quite rightly) outraged about the homophobic attacks. However, once I evidenced the inaccuracies about the Equality Act, the boundary / age appropriate issues and its roots in Queer theory, they were horrified. This Head is just the tip of a very large iceberg. Well done OP.

Senior leadership & Safeguarding leads should also be aware of the recent whistle blown duty of care concerns about how children who have identified as transgender have been treated at NHS GIDS.

Those whistleblowing Safeguarding concerns are medical professionals, including the head of Oxford's Evidence Based Medicine, Professor Carl Heneghan.
Lobbyists including GIRES, Gendered Intelligence & Mermaids whose focus is on children & young people have also been identified by whistle blowers as being detrimental to the provision of an appropriately safe NHS service.

There will be inquiries.
The children at the heart of this are vulnerable & schools should be informed & mindful of the possible implications of findings on their pupils
threads:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3518188-BMJ-Prof-Carl-Heneghan-Evidence-Based-Medicine-Oxford-Panorama-Trans-Kids-Gender-affirming-hormone-in-children-and-adolescents-Evidence-review-concludes-There-are-significant-problems

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3553935-Times-article-calls-to-end-transgender-experiment-on-children

Mermaids works closely with Stonewall, Gendered Intelligence & GIRES.
There are links/shared ideology between these lobby groups & No Outsiders program.

Transcripts of a Mermaids training session for teaching staff were released in December.

Senior Leadership & Governors should be aware of the many Safeguarding, legal, scientific & ethical issues raised by the content of the training & alert to the need to evaluate training & resources provided by/informed by lobbyists ideology.

Imherefornow Sat 22-Dec-18 wrote:
"Here are the links to the transcripts thanks to a wonderful mumsnet collaboration. Share as you will"

docs.google.com/document/d/1NDOMlo2aEpBl2ySfKdEWCb1H94tZciKiqUffjH1ku0Y/edit?usp=sharing

docs.google.com/document/d/1aeFV0T6j4PXvm1xZBS_50oSJYV-_gO8YMoFjKjNA_9Y/edit?usp=sharing
thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3454658-recording-of-mermaids-training

Janice Turner Times article:
december 22 2018
'Trans ideologists are spreading cod science:
Those who defend controversial charity’s right to a £500,000 lottery grant should really listen to what it is preaching'
(extract)
"Are you a Princess Barbie jelly-baby who likes frilly dresses, high heels and takes ages to get ready? Or a GI Joe jelly-baby who wears boots and functional clothing? Did you know that your preference for pink sparkles or muddy sports isn’t down to societal expectations of boys and girls. No, it’s written in your chromosomes. And that’s science.

Well, science according to Mermaids, the charity for trans children, in a presentation understood to be given to thousands of teachers, health workers, police and politicians, and part-funded by the Department for Education.

I listened to a recording of this bizarre 90-minute training lecture and wish others could too. Particularly those who pride themselves on rationality and evidence-based thinking: atheists, fans of Richard Dawkins and Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science; those incensed by climate change deniers on TV or creationists in schools; the same people who are tweeting #istandwithmermaids because the Big Lottery Fund is reviewing, in the light of an outcry, its decision to award them a £500,000 grant.

On tape the Mermaids trainer tells us that humans don’t come in two sexes, male and female, sperm and ovum: “Most people still think that way,” she says airily. “But what we know now, thanks to advances in science, is that the human race has up to 42 different sets of chromosomes.”

Biological sex is on a spectrum, she says, like skin tone and (seriously) bra size. A person’s “gender identity jelly baby” has nothing to do with how we are raised: it is inside you at birth. You know you are a man because you walk like a man and like “manly” things. A listener questions why this lecture is based upon stereotypes and is told “you’re going too clever”. (continues)

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trans-ideologists-are-spreading-cod-science-m8n0pdbq3?shareToken=eb2c06153578d29f71c393769844ab17&wgu=270525_54264_15561853817279_892dc5a91d&wgexpiry=1563961381&utm_source=planit&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_content=22278

callmejudith I found out because there was an article about it in the school newsletter, which most people won't read.

This is a marvelous resource for direct action on the issue.

Heartfelt thanks.