Teachers, Safeguarding, and Getting a Bit Close to Home

[NotYourOscarSpeech]

NC for this as it is very close to my real life!

Twitter interaction last night. Screenshots attached. Summary is - teacher (head of diversity and inclusion) tweeted how he supported social transition for two KS3 pupils but let his arbitrary application of Gillick competence inform his decision to seek parental approval due to age (bit of a red herring there, but I digress). Someone else stated Stonewall resources shouldn't be used to inform the decision (in response to original tweet posing the question of whether parental approval should be sought in the first place). Teacher responded asking what's the problem with using Stonewall resources. TransgenderTrend and others provide sensible and logical arguments. Teacher flounces, locks down account.

Here's the thing. I know this teacher quite well, although haven't spoken to him for a few years. He's not a bad guy. He genuinely has his pupil's best interests at heart. He's not the 'enemy'. But he has got this so so wrong. He's been propelled into a role where he is responsible for pupils' wellbeing and wholeheartedly supporting them in these decisions which could devastate their life, using unlawful justifications, misinterpretation of the Equalities Act - and expecting a round of applause for doing so and being some erstwhile Mr Chips character or whatever. Yet when met with sensible and well-reasoned explanations as to why he's wrong to do what he's doing, he shuts it down and refuses to engage. How can someone like this be allowed to remain responsible for safeguarding these pupils?

This has terrified me to be honest - the idea that the 'good guys', the teacher everyone likes, respects, goes to for sensible and pragmatic advice, is ordinarily measured and well-reasoned - have fallen for this hook line and sinker, and are actually having a real (worrying) impact. I would take 100 Katy Montgomeries and David Paisleys over someone like this.

I think what is interesting is that he specifically mentions key stage 3 pupils. What happens when they go into year 10, is it a case of now your 14 you can make that decision?

JKR is so right about this and how much courage it takes to stand up against your friends and those whom you consider to be good.

But this is how it spreads - people assume everyone else has done due diligence but they haven't.

Thanks for posting this. I fear this situation is repeated all over.

Humans - perhaps males in particular - don't react well to being shown to be wrong. Aggression, defensiveness, shame, even violence sometimes.

The current mainstream trans ideology has such a helpful way for adherents to dispel and project any uneasy feelings: Anyone who questions it can be labelled a "terf", declared responsible for suicide, and therefore have all arguments instantly invalidated.

"Don't drag me into your private battle."

Has this teacher been living under a stone for the past couple of years?

Thinking that we, and the people we like, are inherently good guys.

That people "like us" have a natural, unquestioning decency, an inner moral sensor.

This thinking is what facilitates abuse. Very sad, and very true.

In fairness he said he wouldn’t support without parental permission, due to his assessment of the children’s understanding- I’m not sure he’s said anything wrong.

Someone else stated Stonewall resources shouldn't be used to inform the decision (in response to original tweet posing the question of whether parental approval should be sought in the first place). Teacher responded asking what's the problem with using Stonewall resources.

He also never said he used Stonewall resources in his decision making, so I’m not sure the person replying to him was doing so in good faith. Also if the school, trust or whatever are using Stonewall resources he may have no choice but to refer to them and apply them as best he can in the interests of the child, which was to seek parental consent.

I know in my area schools need to use the (very dodgy) guidance, different school SLTs are applying them so as to tick the box but not make crazy decisions - which it sounds like he was doing.

Unless I’m missing something, he did ok here but wouldn’t be in a position to publicly disagree with school policy and guidance.

I work in a secondary school (non-teaching role) and am quite shocked by how casual SLT are about this. Our safeguarding lead (and fairly new) DPO states blindly that student data is theirs so if they wish to use other names and be referred to by new pronouns that is fine and no reference to parents. My boss refers to gender as a protected characteristic. Apparently they have had "training" but wont state who from. They are bright able people, but clearly captured.

This is such a mess.
Teachers need to remember that only the courts can remove parental rights and they are dicing with fire if they attempt to transition children in secret from their parents. They don't have the authority no matter what activist groups tell them. The only reason schools haven't been dragged through the courts is because parents won't want their child in the middle of a media storm (and cost of course).

Teachers are generally good people and it's shocking to see them overreaching like this. The negative impact on parent school relationships is shocking - too many parents no longer trust them to hold their child's welfare as a priority with schools centring adult activist preferences instead.

The belief among teachers that you should fully support social transition and not 'out' the child to their parents is very common. Particularly so among PSHE teachers and Heads of Inclusion/Wellbeing type roles as they tend to attract the most 'woke' teachers. (pshe teacher myself so I'm talking from experience)

Agreed ValancyRedfern As the PSHE Association / unions etc are all captured and singing from the activists song sheet, they have nobody challenging their dysfunctional thinking.
All the trans guidelines tell them that they're correct - but they're really not and it's so dangerous. Schools openly driving a wedge between child and parents? They need to ask themselves what type of people routinely do this? (answer is that it's not people with the safety / wellbeing of the child at heart).