Posie talks to Safe Schools Alliance

[Whatisthisfuckery]

Just seen this linked on FB. Tracy, one of the founders of Safe Schools Alliance discussing SSA’s work and the legal action they’re supporting regarding the Trans Toolkit for Schools in Oxfordshire. Very interesting and worth a watch.

Thanks I'll watch this in the morning 👍

I'm watching this now, Tracy you are magnificent. Thank you so much. So terrifying that girls are being forced to share with teenage boys parading around naked (from the sound of it) without being asked for their consent and their parents not being told. What happens when a child gets pregnant?

I feel so empowered by what Tracey is saying. I feel confident now to approach my schools and have this out with them. The red flags document is a fab resource. Well worth watching and visiting their website.

Loved this. All about action. I know all the reasons, but until more people take up actions like suggested in this video, it remains a social media debate that goes over most people's heads.

In the video, Safer Schools has many suggestions on talking to your schools, backed up by facts they share on their site.

Absolutely, all the keyboard worrying on the internet won’t change a damn thing, we need to start putting our money where our mouths’ are. I emailed my DS’s school today about the content of their LGBT assembly.

I am only about halfway through, but this is magnificent! Well done, Tracy Shaw, you absolute heroine! Well done, Kellie-Jay for asking pertinent questions and lending her your platform!

Off to dig a hole in Oxfordshire...

Placemarking to watch tomorrow.

The bit where they talk about why no-one is speaking up and standing up for kids e.g. in the safeguarding panel on Oxfordshire CC (FFS) and Tracy says that the lobby groups have captured them and the individuals are 'highly ambitious' and Posie says 'children are expendable'.

Chilling.

Hang your heads in shame Oxfordshire CC - everyone keeping their heads down so they won't get fired. Sacrificing child safeguarding. Not even responding to substantive safeguarding concerns! Brushing off parents making them.You're failures - not doing your jobs. You KNOW you're wrong.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing.

Tracy and Posie are both totally amazing. Posie's right - the reason more parents aren't speaking up (yet) is that they trust schools and they don't know. It will come though, I think. People will wake up and then they will fight for child safeguarding.

Just also want to flag that SSA have a draft letter to send to the CPS complaining about their dreadful guidance.
safeschoolsallianceuk.net/2020/01/28/write-to-the-crown-prosecution-service/

That was very informative and I cannot believe that the council have been so entirely dismissive that a court case is necessary. I do not have children but find the the fact it has to go this far terrifying, how anyone can say there is no impact to other children without undertaking the due diligence they are meant to beggars belief. Parents are meant to be able to trust schools and that all policies within them have been strenuously vetted.

Children's rights are safeguarding rights, how can they be so expendable on a lobby groups say so? If they truly acted in children's interests they would want the guidance to through rigorous assessments.

This is excellent. Am I right in thinking SSA will be at WPUK on saturday? I'm hoping to talk to them. As it happens I'm bringing my older daughter (an oxfordshire teen) and my friend (a school governor), so it's relevant to all of us.

Glad you all enjoyed the web chat. We have to get parents to take action. Parent power does have influence and they need to take control. Legal action coupled with parents challenging will be a powerful mix. .

Yes we will be at wpuk - we have a stalll so we should be easy to find! Please come and say hi.

Just noticed you are from oxon novina. Sorry I won't be there but the others will be able to fill you in. We do have a local group (not ssauk just general chat) on FB. Pm me if you want to join.

Watched this live. Tracy was great. A real call to action.

What also struck me was when she spoke about the red flags when people try to close down the child safeguarding debate, when they make out we're prudes or bigots.

We see this tactic used on here frequently and, well, the removal of Mumsnet's biggest voices on safeguarding - see LangCleg highlights this.

Yesterday a thread on Dragtime Storytime was pulled immediately after the mention of several safeguarding red flags for parents.

I hope the SSA brings Oxfordshire CC to task on its horrendous schools' guidance and that this sets a precedent for LAs and schools across the country, including one of my own children's schools.

That was excellent. Looking forward to saying hello tomorrow.

Tracy is incredible! Every parent should watch this.

If you only have six minutes the section from 24:00 - 30:00 is especially informative.

Oxfordshire county council answered none of SSA's safeguarding concerns when they pointed out that two of their own policies were in conflict.

Legal advice: "there is a smorgasbord of illegality" in the council's transgender policy.

There were no impact assessments.

Dads who complain are taken more seriously than mums. It's sexist, but kids need their dads to step up and ensure their safety at school.

I'm not yet half way through and this is brilliant. Tracy is so clear and concise, I'll be sharing this and getting my husband to watch too.

As I've said before, if ever there was a time to write letters and ask difficult questions it's now.

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/3797573-is-this-teacher-being-unreasonable

I'm really lucky with my daughter's primary school in that they DEFINITELY have not swallowed all this anti-girl propoganda guidance

But I'm raising it with my MP because I'm pretty sure the secondary school might not be the same.

It's hilarious really - they have guidance which basically says 'you are whatever you feel inside even if that's not the same as reality' and 'everyone MUST listen to your inner feelings' then when they're told by parents and girls that what they feel inside is like the sex they are and they feel inside that they'll only be safe / have privacy or dignity if they have single sex spaces. Which is also their right in law.

And the CC pretty much go 'nah, not YOUR inner feelings cos you're female' (that's the level of professionalism they've show in terms of taking safeguarding concerns seriously).

So in order to get her inner feelings taken seriously a 13 year old girl has to take the CC to court?

How do they keep their jobs? Is it my council tax funding this shit?

This prompted me to look at our secondary's policies.

The equality policy lists Gender instead of Gender Reassignment, but does at least have Sex correctly on the list. Is it something worth pointing out do you think? Is this the first creep towards Gender Identity being listed as a protected characteristic?

@HandsOffMyLangCleg

Dragtime storytime

What the fuck? I take it that because it rhymes it must be ok??!!

@Mossyrock

Dads who complain are taken more seriously than mums. It's sexist, but kids need their dads to step up and ensure their safety at school

I sort of agree but my husband says that he has the advantage of knowing what he was like at 15!

I really think all this is really crap for boys as well as for girls. I think of my nephews - they would hate all this mixing of the sexes in changing rooms/toilets, plus because there is a particular safeguarding issue for girls, we discuss what boys could do - we have the stats about abuse in school- even though most boys wouldn’t. This whole narrative isn’t good for them either.

Yes most tween and teen boys would be equally as appalled to be expected to get changed in front of biological females as the girls would want to avoid the reverse.

And I doubt that a trans child would really want to be put into an environment where their obvious difference and the fact that biologically they are NOT the sex they identify with is highlighted. It's hardly going to increase acceptance.

So the wants and needs of the vast majority are thrown under the bus for the political agenda of adults with dubious motives.

Thin

More on this current thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3810196-Sigh-Trying-again-MNHQ-what-are-we-allowed-to-say-about-safeguarding

ThinEndoftheWedge I totally agree. This is terrible for girls but bad for boys too. Blurring boundaries like this makes the teaching of consent more difficult. And boys are just as entitled to privacy and dignity.

@Hands

Head hits table...

I agree boys have a right to privacy and dignity too. My son would have been mortified.