Updated relationships, sex and health curriculum guidance

[umbel]

Updated government guidance, released today!!!

That’s amazing ❤️ I feel the tide is finally turning.

And as for that Mermaids statement off you fuck fuckers.

That's fantastic news. Bloody well done to all those working behind the scenes to get the guidance changed.

@highame

Mermaids said this We are further concerned by an apparent implication that teachers are pushing their personal ideologies onto young people. It is absolutely wrong for any adult to press their own prejudice onto young minds; indeed, we see the damage this can do to young people suffering transphobia every day. With that in mind, we must reassure school staff that affirming, accepting and acknowledging transgender lives is quite the opposite of prejudice; it is an absence of prejudice and an act of kindness, empowerment and sympathy.

Not sure about you, but I think they've got a nerve

Yup - Max Nerve I’d say!

That mermaids response...its reaching to put it lightly. They have taken something completely non offensive and desperately tried and failed to turn it into a personal attack of some kind whist trying to make themselves look like they are rising above somehow.

Does this mean that none of the programs will now contain anything written by or suggested by M SW DR, PT?

The Mermaids response is indeed weird. I can't quite put my finger on the why yet

wow that is fantastic!! well done to everyone who has worked so hard to get this taken seriously. It couldnt be more uneqivocal

as for mermaids - I think it would be far better to have not responded at all rather than post something so odd. the wheels do seem to be coming off - irrespective of their cause, they just dont seem to be very well managed. Founder syndrome writ large

That has made my day. I feel a happy dance and a little glass of something cold and white coming on later.

With this and Liz Truss in Parliament this morning answering the ‘urgent questions‘ with some firm and clear words for the hard of understanding - good news indeed.

Mermaids seem to be talking themselves out of every single piece of training they deliver.

Didn't Mermaids recently alter their guidance from a clear statement that playing with the opposite sex, or preferring the toys/clothes of that gender, was a sign - to one insisting the opposite? Someone has screenshots?

Sounds to me like they are trying to alter their published materials to make it seem perfectly compliant, tbh. And that they knew full well what was coming, too.

Mermaids have been rapidly backpedalling quite a lot recently - see that blog post linked to in their statement. They seem to desperately trying to reposition themselves, and reinterpret statements they have previous made. I guess they are worried about losing funding / customers?

Wow, one piece of news, and then another, and then another! It's hard to keep up! Very happy to read this.

This is very positive. I hope that it also means that DoE end any reliance on these lobby groups to be the only source of guidance. There needs to be balance and independence.

So much to take in this week.

Mermaids seem to be talking themselves out of every single piece of training they deliver

I shouldn't laugh really but....

You are right, they have contradicted every thing they have ever said in multiple posts and open letters and responses etc

Like the fact there are as many genders as there are people. I'm.sure someone was thrown of twitter or piled on fir saying the same a few years earlier

What a very clear statement. I haven't contacted my primary school yet (they use Jigsaw) but this strengthens the case against using external materials for this subject.

Great news!

This is brilliant i just wish it effected Scotland.
That mermaids response is shocking and I love how they repeatedly say that they don't have anything to do with the resources for schools or go into schools to talk with kids they only teach the teachers. It screams not us gov, we're the good group

What a great week! The good news just keeps on coming. Well done to all the brave, stubborn, persistent women on here and across the country who fought so valiantly for this.

Who wrote that piece of straightforward common sense in plain English???!

Find them and promote them immediately! Do not let them get away, that's a gift rare anywhere in govt at the moment.

@gardenbird48

That has made my day. I feel a happy dance and a little glass of something cold and white coming on later.

With this and Liz Truss in Parliament this morning answering the ‘urgent questions‘ with some firm and clear words for the hard of understanding - good news indeed.

Yes! Things are starting to look good. Looks like the sane adults have taken back control at long last.

Still so much to work on, but I feel some weight has been lifted and we now have time to plan, organise and breathe, especially without the threat of self id looming over us.

I'm not much of a drinker, but I think today definitely deserves a

There is also a lot of really positive stuff in the external agencies / resources sections:

It is important when using external agencies to take particular care that the agency and any materials used are appropriate and in line with your school’s legal duties regarding political impartiality

When deciding on the external agencies and resources to use, you should make appropriate checks to ensure that the agencies’ approach to teaching relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education and the resources that they plan to use comply with:

your school’s policy
the Teaching Standards
the Equality Act 2010
the Human Rights Act 1998
the Education Act 1996

You should engage with agencies to ensure their approach to teaching about relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education is balanced and the resources they intend to use are age-appropriate and aligned to the developmental stage of the pupils being taught. Schools should exercise their judgement reasonably, in line with their legal responsibilities, in the selection of providers and resources to be used. You should exercise extreme caution when working with external agencies and proceed only if you have full confidence in the agency, its approach and the resources it uses.

You should also conduct a basic online search (as parents and carers may do this). It is important that anything you or parents and carers would be concerned about is addressed beforehand.

It is good practice for the teacher to be in the room, so they know what was discussed and can follow up with their pupils. They will also understand what has been discussed if a pupil makes a disclosure later.

Many organisations actively promote external resources to schools. You should assess all resources carefully to ensure they are age appropriate, meet the outcome of the relevant part of the curriculum, and are in line with your school’s legal duties in relation to impartiality.

When deciding if a resource is suitable, you should consider if it:

aligns to the teaching requirements set out in the statutory guidance
would support pupils in applying their knowledge in different contexts and settings
is age-appropriate - think about the age, developmental stage and background of your pupils
is evidence-based and contains robust facts and statistics
fits into your curriculum plan
is from a credible source

Indeed michelle. Maybe they could translate J Butler for everyone?

Looks like some sensible people have been working behind the scenes. As a PP said, it's a shame that it's England only, though hopefully the other nations will be encouraged by this to do the same.

This seems like a good statement... I think there was a lot of well-meaning but wrong-headed stuff out there that was too bluntly equating gender non conformism with actually being transgendered. I'm not actually sure how widely it's used and I think there has been a degree of overblown moral panic about it, but it's still better to say that it's not helping to suggest to kids they're not their birth sex just because they are into 'gender atypical' stuff. Presumably the argument now will be that this is 'erasing transgendered kids' or something, but no one's saying not to teach anything about gender, just not to teach misleading things about it.

Oh my god thank goodness! My little girl just started in reception and I am beyond relieved someone sensible is within the DoE so I don't have to face the fight of dice games and gender drivel.

Wow!!! Thanks for sharing this really feels like such a relief, is the tide finally turning?
Are organisations finally willing To accept that the concept of gender identity is actually completely harmful, stereotyping and outdated?

Great news. Very happy to read this!