RSE at primary school

[vinoandbrie]

Hi, I am looking for ideas and ways to best articulate my concerns around the RSE curriculum coming into play this September.

We’ve been sent a survey by school, asking us what we feel it’s important to see in the RSE curriculum, any areas we have concern about being taught as part of the RSE curriculum, and for any other comments.

I have genuine concerns around some of the materials I’ve read up about around transgenderism being taught in primary schools. How best to articulate this?

Can you give a bit of detail? I have primary dc and would love a heads up on what we’ll be dealing with

Hopefully this link will work assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/908013/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf

We've just had this at our primary.
A few things to ask could be:

Will they be distinguishing gender from biological sex (they should be) in their teaching?

Will they examine and challenge the stereotypes around the interests and behaviours of boys and girls?

Where will they be advising children to go if they have questions concerning their gender identity?

Do you intend to work with or seek advice from any external partners (they don't have to) and if so, who are they and what materials would be used, as you would ask that no political or lobbyist groups are used.

I’ve just had similar. I stated that I had concerns about how issues around gender identity would be taught as many teaching materials refer to restrictive gender stereotypes.

Also, Safe Schools Alliance has a lot of brilliant resources and information:

safeschoolsallianceuk.net/

I'd start off by querying if they are going to teach the 2020 gender non statutory components of the curriculum.
If they are not then you'd not expect to see gender appear at all, other than lumped in passing with tolerance in general.
If so then I would ask how they are going to teach and ensure that the section on gender stereotypes and wrong body etc is adhered to.

Under the new curriculum, primary schools are encouraged to teach about LGBT relationships, while secondary are expected to do so.

In another piece of non-statutory guidance, Plan your relationships, sex and health curriculum, the DfE urges schools to be “aware that topics involving gender and biological sex can be complex and sensitive matters to navigate”.

Schools should “not reinforce harmful stereotypes, for instance by suggesting that children might be a different gender based on their personality and interests or the clothes they prefer to wear”, the guidance states.

They should also not use resources which “suggest that non-conformity to gender stereotypes should be seen as synonymous with having a different gender identity”, and that schools “should not work with external agencies or organisations that produce such material”.

However, the guidance goes on to say that teachers “should always seek to treat individual students with sympathy and support”.

The DfE’s statutory guidance states that sexual orientation and gender identity “should be explored at a timely point and in a clear, sensitive and respectful manner”.

“When teaching about these topics, it must be recognised that young people may be discovering or understanding their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

It says timely manner for gender identity so it may not be taught at primary.

However, there would be some advantages to having a no nonsense primary teaching it than having the first time they come across it in secondary, where children often communicate less with guardians about what they learn in lessons.

Its worth asking which resources/ teaching schemes will be used and whether any external training providers will be involved in RSE delivery.

Will they be distinguishing gender from biological sex (they should be) in their teaching?

Its worth framing this question as sex, gender and gender identity.
The school should understand the difference between all three.

Sorry to ask a basic question but what is the difference between gender and gender identity?

Gender has different meanings
-it is commonly used as a synonym for sex ( a polite alternative for female/male)

-those who believe in gender ideology use gender when they mean a particular gender identity eg transman/woman, non-binary, agender, pangender, genderqueer etc (there are upwards of 100 specific genders which an individual may identify with)

• feminists use gender to refer to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate/desirable for women and men separately (eg what is considered feminine/masculine)

It can often be clearer/safer to avoid using gender altogether and instead talk of sex, sex based/sexist stereotypes and gender identity.

Rebecca Reilly-Cooper's article is very useful:
aeon.co/essays/the-idea-that-gender-is-a-spectrum-is-a-new-gender-prison

Thanks R0wan

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