School contact re RSHE changes - Stonewall recommendation

[JoodyBlue]

Just had a message through from school about D of E changes to RSHE in schools. The guidance is here - hopefully the link will work.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1019542/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf

Anyway, I am somewhat dismayed to see that the Stonewall is still a recommended government resource for teaching on LGBT, along with suggested lesson plans. Stonewall is listed along with Catholic guidance, and it is made clear that schools must discuss resources with parents consulting. However, to me, the link of a suggested resource in government guidance implies approval of that resource.

Anyone else have a view on this. I am quite discomforted by it. I would like to see alternative additional resources to Stonewall included for a balanced view on the teaching of gender identity.

Bless you MsGoodenough, of course you must put your own well-being and family needs first. And switching off from it all is highly recommended!

I think the issue is the strength of feeling from perhaps parents whose children have been really badly affected by the harms of gender ideology. There really are some horror stories out there.

And of course the strength of feeling from women and LGB people who have so much at stake too.

Sending solidarity and best wishes to everyone fighting this in whatever way they can.

@Whitestick

I would say GC views are very much in the minority among teachers. Well there will be those who might be if they thought about it, but the prevailing attitude is affirmation due to the impact on teenagers of doing anything else. It is nothing at all like people standing back watching JS and you won't get any teachers on side by suggesting that.

If teachers know there is a safeguarding risk, if they know telling girls it’s fine to go to the boys toilets, through not challenging schools supporting gender ideology or directly through schools policies, then the girl gets raped it’s is exactly like the people who stood by and let Savile get away with it.

Believe it or not parents don’t need to get teachers on side to do their job of safeguarding kids, it’s on teachers whether they do this.

I have girls with autism. There’s no world where teacher trying to keep a job matters more than my daughters getting raped by a boy you let into the girls toilets.

If the people trained to spot safeguarding risks don’t speak up about them then that makes those people the safeguarding risk to children.

I don’t gaf who resents that or not. Children’s safety will always matter more and it’s cowardly to not take action to safeguarding them.

I’ve done 14 hour shifts in schools too. The residential kind where they lock up teenage rapists. If I knew there was a risk and didn’t speak up it would make me just as bad as the rapists we supervised. No way would I shut up and let the worst happen, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did.

For several years now the dominant ideology in schools has been that we harm children (ergo, safeguarding risk) by refusing to allow them to change their gender. All around in society we hear that male bodied people in women's toilets present no risk. The few boys (it's usually the other way round at this age) identifying as female tend to be gay and not an obvious risk to female students.
I do not remotely believe this is ok, but this is what we have been told in schools since all this started. Staff aren't ignoring a safeguarding risk, they literally aren't seeing it as it's been disguised as A Very Good Thing.

@OhHolyJesus

That is the 2019 guidance - Op look up the Sept 2020 update for more specific guidance on what schools must consider when using external providers.

Hi @OhHolyJesus this was the guidance that my school linked to. Don't suppose you have a link to more up to date?

Here's the updated (in September) DfE page with the statutory guidelines and lots of additional resources.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education

Sure.

This is the 2021 - PSHE

www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-social-health-and-economic-education-pshe/personal-social-health-and-economic-pshe-education

Here is 2020 - check out the bit about external providers.

www.gov.uk/guidance/plan-your-relationships-sex-and-health-curriculum

@OhHolyJesus thank you SOOOO much :)