Ofsted boss warns ‘militant’ activism in schools is a threat to education

[FlyPassed]

This is really interesting, lots of bits i could paste but i picked this bit:

'In some cases, she said, children and teachers were being subjected to abuse and even violence for being the wrong religion, race or ethnicity, and she said pupils should not be forced to support their peers’ campaigns for fear of being ostracised if they do not.

On teachers, Spielman said they should not be policed by “self-appointed moral guardians” who refuse to tolerate alternative viewpoints, or harried on social media to apologise for what they have said or change the way they teach.'

Not specifically about sex and gender but posting here due to the parallels and because I think posters here would be more interested than in chat.

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jun/24/ofsted-boss-warns-militant-activism-in-schools-is-a-threat-to-education

I read this and fully agree with her and she's extremely brave to raise this. She will be no doubt cancelled now.

She told sector leaders attending a virtual Festival of Education: “It cannot be right for children to have to cross what amount to picket lines outside their school because one group’s religious beliefs – protected by law – sit uncomfortably with teaching about another group’s sexuality – also protected by law. It cannot be right that the curriculum can be filleted by pressure groups.

It's brilliant that she recognises the conflicts that different protected characteristics might spark and that they are equally protected in law. Glad that she isn't of the "rights aren't like a pie" mindset but has a more nuanced approach.

But equally it can't be right that one group is in the school teaching a pseudoscientific, sexist, harmful ideology to kids.

A really useful article and it's a reminder to those of us who are concerned at the policy capture of so many school. It was the DfE who opened up schools to political activist groups like Stonewall, Mermaids Teachers assume that the DfE checks organisations that they openly promote but as we discovered from the Jonathan Slater debacle - individuals at the top of the DfE were often acting from self interest and receiving special dinners / awards from these groups.

Exasperated as I am by the actions of so many schools in pushing the born in the wrong body mantra and adopting anti female, anti safeguarding trans policies, this is because until now, the DfE has pushed this at them. Given that, we've got to make sure that our challenges to schools are heard and not dismissed , especially as many schools are now being targeted (as seen in Batley) by religious fundamentalist groups objecting to teaching sex / relationships education at all.