Safe Schools Alliance aims statement and printable resource

[LangCleg]

I've just seen this on the Twatter from Safe Schools Alliance. It's an A4 printable of their aims and objectives. It's intended as a resource for contacting MPs and other representatives. I'm going to send it off to mine tomorrow, I think.

Nothing to disagree with there, is there?

twitter.com/SafeSchools_UK/status/1161224560735338499

safeschoolsallianceuk.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/ssa-concernsaims.pdf

Clicky link for the Twatter:

twitter.com/SafeSchools_UK/status/1161224560735338499

Or, perhaps, actual clicky link for the Twatter!

mobile.twitter.com/SafeSchools_UK/status/1161224560735338499

It’s fab! Thanks, I’ll be writing to my mp later today

Raises lots of useful questions. Looks like a great basis for discussion with someone just starting to get to grips with the area (like a lot of MPs need to do).

Thanks, lang, this has come just at the right time, when Stonewall is telling us that any school using the Transgendertrend toolkit for schools “risks falling foul of the law” (without naming any law or how this is even the case).

I’ll make sure our local authority people have copies of this.

Thank you Lang, I was going to come on and share this today but you beat me to it!

Family do you have a link to where stonewall is advising that please? I some LAs have stated it but I didn’t know stonewall had come out to say it.

Thanks lang. SSA ask that this is widely shared; sending a copy off to my local mps too!

I think it sums up the issues well. And, since our entire political class appears to have failed to have done its due diligence on any of it, a good primer for MPs and councillors. Even head teachers and school governors. Great accessible format too.

@GColdtimer

This is a link to the statement on their website about the Transgendertrend toolkit for schools. It’s actually worse than I remember - it says the toolkit “actively encourages schools to take steps that risk them falling foul of their legal duties and duty of care to pupils”. It’s 100% bullshit.

www.stonewall.org.uk/node/62946

Looks good. Thanks for putting it together

Thanks family. We will look into it!

This is really helpful - well done Safe Schools.
Thought it might be helpful to also suggest a look at the new DfE Sex / Relationships guidelines which are quite helpful. These are statutory so schools must follow them - or have to explain why not. Sorry if this is a bit long (and not meaning to derail) but it seems to sit alongside the Safe Schools advice and is well worth having a look

Two paragraphs state very clearly that LGBT issues should not be taught as standalone lessons but should be integrated into the curriculum. Para 37 (primary) and para 75 (secondary). This in itself should bring to an immediate stop to the organisations coming in to teach one off sessions to children about blue and pink brains and other sexist crap.
Schools are also told to check credentials and see all lesson plans and resources in advance. What qualifies them to teach children about SRE?
The importance of consultation with parents and sharing resources runs through the guidelines which gives parents much more influence..
There's a brief section about whole class settings and answering difficult questions. Teachers trained in teaching sensitive subjects are well versed in techniques for managing inappropriate questions. Visitors from organisations with no child development / education qualifications, probably less so.

Hopefully this will stop naive teachers inviting in pressure groups and individuals once they realise that the school are fully accountable, age appropriate LGBT work must be integrated not standalone and materials & lesson plans viewed in advance and resources shared with parents.

This is a useful tool for ensuring that children get good inclusive SRE while gatekeeping schools from those organisations currently targeting children in schools with their anti safeguarding regressive sexist crap

www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education

That’s great advice, truth.

I was at a safeguarding training course where one of the activities involved looking at imaginary case studies. For the first time ever, one table was given a case study about a gender-questioning child.

Colleagues on that table told us that luckily they had had Mermaids in to train them and therefore their very first response to the child would be to contact Mermaids. Not talk to the parents. Talk to Mermaids.

Very helpful Truth we have a lot of Stonewall Champion schools round our way so that is helpful to know about the single issue teaching.

Family

I responded by saying that there are many organisations positioning themselves as experts providing advice on “trans issues” to schools and that I believed it is down to our LA to scrutinise these organisations very carefully before they are allowed in to train our staff.

I’m having the same conversation with the “higher-ups” in the LA. Fingers crossed someone actually listens.

Brilliant advice, truth.

I don't want to derail from the excellent advice in the Safe Schools leaflets which I am printing off as I write this. But somehow everyone seems to have missed this in the guidance amidst the row about homophobia.
It just shows, that no matter how many individuals in the civil service are relentlessly pushing the rainbow glitter T agenda there are still people with education experience / concern for child welfare still able to influence government policy.

Well done Family - it's insidious isn't it? And when you actually look at the regressive homophobic attitudes of Mermaids alongside their catastrophic advice (immediate affirmation, assemblies celebrating 6 years olds transitioning, crude sexist stereotypes of gender identity etc) you realise just how dangerous they are.

The puzzling thing is that local authorities have legal teams so you’d think they would be right on top of this - scrutinising everything that comes our way and making sure we don’t risk being sued and having the school fail an Ofsted and be closed down because we’re failing in our duty to protect all the children in the school.

I can’t work out why the rule book is being thrown out on just this issue.

FamilyOfAliens That's a good point. Lawyers were some of the first to be institutionally captured - if you're proposing to gaslight the whole of society into believing that people can magically change sex then you need the law, the government and law enforcers on your side.
So lawyers don't look behind the mantras (as they'll be accused of being transphobic) until women challenge the collision of protected characteristics. The EHRC had to be forced (by Fair Play for Women) into changing their previous incorrect guidance and are currently frantically twisting and turning trying to avoid admitting that they have also been 'misrepresenting' the law about sex segregated spaces etc to society and the government.
So there is nowhere for LA legal teams to go to for 'quick' advice and the rest of it is fatally compromised. It's a mess.
Hopefully this document from Safe Schools and the awesome work being done by FPFW, Transgender Trend and others are being shared more widely and making people challenge the mantras.

truth The guidelines that you linked to are worth looking at, but I was sad to see that they do recommend Stonewall!

www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/annex-b-resources-for-relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education

Colleagues on that table told us that luckily they had had Mermaids in to train them and therefore their very first response to the child would be to contact Mermaids. Not talk to the parents. Talk to Mermaids.

Jesus that breaks safeguarding rules.

Hang on a sec - aren’t Stonewall the ones whose advice would cause schools to actually fall foul of the law?!?

Indeed MrsSnippyPants . The government always recommend Stonewall - presumably having no idea of what 'acceptance without exception' actually means.