School newsletter tells girls how to bind

[ErrolTheDragon]

There's a piece in the Times today ... parents not happy at the content of a newsletter produced by the 6th formers

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nonsuch-high-school-sixth-formers-told-girls-11-how-to-bind-breasts-k7slvrbkr?shareToken=a84af706d3b638e2ea3d2d53ea04e29d

I'm glad PP brought up foot binding. Purposely deforming young girl's bodies is not a new phenomenon.

I feel like I'm channeling some distressed mother in China a millennium ago who is wondering why anyone thinks this is a good thing. I'm sure there are plenty of anti-footbinding Chinese mothers lost to history.

As today is Mother's Day in my country, I'm feeling particularly bothered by the attempt to silence us.

Let's hope we don't have to wait a thousand years like this dissenter, "As early as the Song dynasty (960-1279), a Chinese intellectual wrote that “children not yet 4 or 5 years old, innocent and without crime, are caused to suffer limitless pain.”

[quote R0wantrees]October 2020 Department of Education statutory guidelines for schools concerning sex/gender identity and sexual orientation:
www.transgendertrend.com/department-for-education-rse-guidance-schools/[/quote]
Thank you R0, I was being lazy.

@SplodgeWaddler

As a very recent ex-parent of the school here’s my perspective on this...

From experience, I know there are some power hungry parents within the school who will never be happy and actually end up causing instability within the school....when my daughter first joined they dismissed the head teacher for messaging a sixth former, however the sixth former just happened to be the daughter of one of the governors who I believe is also an employment lawyer - so basically it seems to me that they dismissed for other reasons but caught him out on a technicality. Gross misconduct. The school has an issue with high staff-turnover. Most of the teachers are good, only a few ever came across as being truly inspiring (one of these was also dismissed though ) however one member of staff is a know tyrant, I have no idea why she’s still there. None of it makes sense. To be honest, the school is a mess probably because of this constant meddling from parents. The school has always had a very volatile air about it, as if it could explode at any moment.

Gay, trans, bi, pan etc etc is quite a big thing amongst teens in all schools at the moment, I’m sure all parents of teens who are reading this thread will agree. So I believe the newsletter was genuinely intended to be helpful and informative. If girls are fully aware of the risks then perhaps it’ll put them off of actually doing it?

The only reason this article has come about in the first place is because some of these control-freak parents don’t like the idea that their little darling may be tempted to partake in such activities but what they fail to realise is that it’s happening everywhere, in all schools. It’s currently a big thing for teenagers. Personally I’d rather my daughter was fully informed about these things so she can make a fully enlightened decision that’s right for her.

This is all a bit of a non-issue for me to be honest. I’m just glad my daughter is now out of this and is now in a much more stable educational environment.

Except the newsletter wasn’t informing girls of the risks of breast binding, and other sexual practices that can cause serious damage, nor was its intention to inform girls that they don't need to alter their bodies to fit into a gender stereotype. It did the exact opposite. It’s a shame that you cant see the total lack of safeguarding in sending this out. Calling parents ‘control freaks’ because they believe that their children should not be exposed to the materials linked in this newsletter says more about you than about them I’m afraid.

@SplodgeWaddler

Basically the way I see it is Nonsuch parents have three choices:

1. Send your child to non-grammar (you’ll save a fortune on tuition!) but these issues may then be worse. Or other issues maybe...Drugs? Fighting? Bullying?
2. Pay for private school.
3. Stop trying to destabilise your child’s school because they don’t fully represent your personal beliefs. Be grateful for the education that they are lucky enough to receive. Just because your child may or may not have even read the information, it doesn’t mean they’re going to become a breast-binding transsexual over night. And if this is your child, wouldn’t you still love them anyway?

I love how you think that ‘non grammar’ schools are the only ones that have problems with bullying, fighting and drugs. in fact, if I’m not mistaken, many of the top public schools have had these issues for years.

@SplodgeWaddler Sorry, are you actually complaining about a male head teacher being dismissed for gross misconduct for texting a female sixth former?

That is clearly gross misconduct. I don't even work in education or safeguarding and that screams gross misconduct to me. That you don't see a problem with it and put his sacking down to a conspiracy or "control freak" parents is truly shocking.

With parents like you around I truly despair for our children.

1. Send your child to non-grammar (you’ll save a fortune on tuition!) but these issues may then be worse. Or other issues maybe...Drugs? Fighting? Bullying?

Fucking hell.

DialSquare, I'm sorry about your brother.

@SplodgeWaddler

As a Nonsuch parent I’m not going to take any of the three choices you offered. I am instead going to engage with the school on this issue and ensure that they take their safeguarding duties seriously. I’m concerned both about the links in the newsletter and by the fact that this was not sent to parents as well (given they bombard us with other newsletters). Yes they have made a mistake here and like all schools they sometimes make mistakes. But that doesn’t make them a bad school. The school has been excellent for my DD and indeed compared to DS’s school they have been amazing.

@ArabellaScott

1. Send your child to non-grammar (you’ll save a fortune on tuition!) but these issues may then be worse. Or other issues maybe...Drugs? Fighting? Bullying?

Fucking hell.

Quite.

What a very warped perception this poster has of 'non-grammar' schools....

[quote AliMonkey]@SplodgeWaddler

As a Nonsuch parent I’m not going to take any of the three choices you offered. I am instead going to engage with the school on this issue and ensure that they take their safeguarding duties seriously. I’m concerned both about the links in the newsletter and by the fact that this was not sent to parents as well (given they bombard us with other newsletters). Yes they have made a mistake here and like all schools they sometimes make mistakes. But that doesn’t make them a bad school. The school has been excellent for my DD and indeed compared to DS’s school they have been amazing.[/quote]
Good luck. The guidance they need to follow is posted by R0 if you need it, just to remind them of their duty of care.

Thanks Arabella

I am instead going to engage with the school on this issue and ensure that they take their safeguarding duties seriously. I’m concerned both about the links in the newsletter and by the fact that this was not sent to parents as well (given they bombard us with other newsletters). Yes they have made a mistake here and like all schools they sometimes make mistakes.

Good luck, I am sure that the vast majority of staff and governors will, like you, want to Safeguard all of the children in the school. This is an opportunity to improve.

I am appalled by what the fact the sixth formers are seemingly allowed to distribute this type of literature - this should not be permitted, safeguarding of both the younger children and at the sixth formers

If I were a parent at this school I would be engaging with the management to discuss my concerns. As a pp is doing. I hope many others do so also.

I am a teacher at a very non-white, non-middle class school and I can assure you this isn't happening 'everywhere' as another pp said. My students are very confused by what to believe. I had a student ask me the other day if it would be transphobic to expect a partner to tell you if they were trans. I assured them it wouldn't be, because we all have the right to have sex with the bodies we desire, and nobody can force us to change our sexuality. The student was very relieved, but I am terrified I'm going to be hauled in to the management. Why are so many adults so enthusiastic about eroding young girls' boundaries?

Why are so many adults so enthusiastic about eroding young girls' boundaries?

It's obvious why some of them are, but I don't understand why so many other adults including some teachers appear to be on the side of the predators rather than protecting children from them.

@OldCrone

Why are so many adults so enthusiastic about eroding young girls' boundaries?

It's obvious why some of them are, but I don't understand why so many other adults including some teachers appear to be on the side of the predators rather than protecting children from them.

Yes. But you don't ever get any of the pro-trans posters coming back to answer this question -- OR any of the questions about social contagion, safeguarding, or why circular and nonsensical definitions like the Mermaids one upthread don't make any sense even on their own terms.

4. Hold your school to it’s objective to deliver the highest level of education including following strict safeguarding principles in ALL communication to its students.

Yes, so speak to the headteacher and make an official complaint to ensure these links aren’t included again. I’ve spoken to my daughter about this and she’s told me that when she was at the school she rarely even looked at the emails let alone clicked the links. And yes that doesn’t mean that others won’t. YES it is a mistake that they shouldn’t make again but it’s a student written newsletter FFS.

By all means report it to ofsted too.

But why take it to the national press and MN?

The thing is, there are parents within that school who WILL try and take the school down while they’re about it. One in particular has done similar before with their children’s primary, think bad ofsted, the majority of teachers leaving, instigating the removal of the headteacher etc and now their child attends this particular school so I wouldn’t be surprised if that parent is behind this tbh. They have also tried to launch a campaign to raise a vote of no confidence in a local councillor.

If this IS your child’s school. I’d be very VERY VERY careful to make sure that this doesn’t end badly for the school.

I have to say I am warming to these control freak parents.

No where is there proof that this was sent to 11 year olds

Its confirmed previously on thread that it was emailed to all of the pupils in this girls' school.