Stonewall advising our secondary school

[StonewallSchoolInfluence]

Have name changed for this.

Backstory - start of this term, the school announced all toilets were to become gender neutral (by taking signs off doors and removing urinals). There was a big fuss, school eventually backtracked and only made some blocks gender neutral. I personally had an email exchange with the deputy where I was lectured about being kind and inclusive. / Then this half term there was a PSHE newsletter saying y8 covering gender identity, with links to Stonewall. I contacted PSHE lead to express concerns about this.

Just had a newsletter from the head, with a lot of talk about inclusivity, mention of trans awareness week, and that the student leaders have been working with 'relevant charities' about LGBTQ+ issues. So I enquired which charities, and of course, it's Stonewall.

Any thoughts where to go from here? Do I wait for any issues to arise and then tackle them? Do I contact them now to express my concerns?

Has anyone had similar?

Bearing in mind, I don't want to do anything that would put my kids in an awkward position, this is nothing to do with their views or them personally. And I'm a bit worried I already have a reputation.

Also, does anyone know what the Inclusion Quality Mark organisation is and should I be concerned about that too?

safeschoolsallianceuk.net/

www.transgendertrend.com/product/stonewall-schools-guidance-a-critical-review/

@334bu thank you! I've looked on SSA website but haven't found anything specific to this situation. Will defo be good if the school decides to change any policies etc.

The TT link looks useful - sounds like a good overview of all the concerns about Stonewall in schools.

The schools shouldn't discriminate or prejudice your child's education based on your views or matching that if the head teacher, that wouldn't be very inclusive!

Anyway, at this point I would raise a complaint and go through the formal procedure but I realise that's easy for me to say.

If they are teaching gender identity as fact and basing any lessons on sex-based stereotypes they are in breach of the 2020 dep of education guidelines.

As 334 posts, the safe schools alliance resources are really useful.

I would be contacting each and every governor of the school to explain your concerns and linking to the Transgender Trend and Safe Schools Alliance websites (ideally linking to the most relevant resources). I would also be writing to the Safeguarding lead (with the safeguarding link governor in copy (including a request that they share you message with the other governoes)) to ask how they were managing safeguarding in all of this.
If you don't get adequate responses then raise a formal complaint in accordance with the school complaints policy (they will have one) and follow through the complaints appeal process.
Also if you are in contact with any other parents at the school, ask them to do the same.

This 2018 article from Woman's Place UK might be useful. Good luck.
womansplaceuk.org/2018/11/12/mixed-sex-toilets-ins-chools/

As a political lobby group I would be asking which other groups they will be inviting into the school to give balance? There is a law about political groups in school but I am afraid someone else will have to find it.

I think it's in here somewhere Lovely

www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health

This sounds exhausting!

I read sth on twitter the other day about the amount of energy needed to refute a small amount of bullshit...

Print out and send Transgender Trend's school resource pack.

It's not a specific reply to your specific situation, but it is an overarching resource that covers most situations you will likely encounter in a gender ideologists environment.

You can do this anonymously.

www.transgendertrend.com/transgender-schools-guidance/

Contacting the governors is a good plan, and sending those TT resources.

GC coming out day has arrived early in my house, as I've just contacted quite a few fellow parents about this to see if I can garner some support!

Send them this link - www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/education/councillors-hear-of-claims-that-boys-at-jedburgh-grammar-campus-waved-sanitary-products-like-flags-3471533

Ask to see the PHSE/RSE scheme of work and use SSA and TT resources to show how they may be going against hover guidelines.

I would probably go through the official complaint procedure - policy will be on the school's website.

It would be really helpful if you can get other parents on board too.

It is exhausting, OP but it's worth doing.

Hover=government

One useful approach OP is to ask the school for details of how their inclusion strategy includes the other protected characteristics?

BAME children and adults
Those with disabilities including physical disabilities
Those with sight and hearing impairments.
Children with SEN
Girls

Ask how their school policies specifically address the above?
What curriculum resources / time address the above?
Is the funding (££, curriculum and staff time) being spent on LGBT issues equal to the funding the school is spending on the other vulnerable groups? if not, why not?

That's a bit garbled but hopefully you get what I mean.

Thank you so much for pushing schools on this; and, in my experience, parents with a reputation are those that get their own way!
I’m trying to appear on more of these threads as interventions from parents are much more successful than internal GC teachers making a fuss (I am both).
The escalation goes: Head, governors, LEA. Make it clear at each stage that you will escalate so they know you won’t let it lie.
SSA and TT have all the information you need but let me know if you need anything more - I have been you, both externally and internally!!

Thank you from me too for challenging this, I totally agree that parents have the most clout and we are growing in numbers. Lots of us will support you here OP.

@MrsOvertonsWindow

One useful approach OP is to ask the school for details of how their inclusion strategy includes the other protected characteristics?

BAME children and adults
Those with disabilities including physical disabilities
Those with sight and hearing impairments.
Children with SEN
Girls

Ask how their school policies specifically address the above?
What curriculum resources / time address the above?
Is the funding (££, curriculum and staff time) being spent on LGBT issues equal to the funding the school is spending on the other vulnerable groups? if not, why not?

That's a bit garbled but hopefully you get what I mean.

This!! Often diversity & inclusion basically means mostly trans a bit of G&B and that’s it

I bet they spend next to no time on any of the other protected characteristics

Stonewall by their own definition are a political lobbying organisation/charity.

DFE has very clear guidelines on external agencies and political impartially. Schools have to have a good reason to deviate from this. Classifying Stonewall and their associate agencies as experts in their topics only works if they have professional qualifications in their topics to do so (ie not just H&S and a NSPCC safeguarding certificate).

www.gov.uk/guidance/plan-your-relationships-sex-and-health-curriculum#using-external-agencies

“It is important when using external agencies to take particular care that the agency and any materials used are appropriate and in line with your school’s legal duties regarding political impartiality. Your local authority, governing body and headteacher must:

• forbid the pursuit of partisan political activities by junior pupils
• forbid the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school
• take reasonably practicable steps to secure that where political issues are brought to the attention of pupils, they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views”.

TT and ssa as others have mentioned plus www.sex-matters.org also check out the lgb alliance, no resources as yet, but they are actively challenging.

Hello, how did you get on? Did you manage to find out if the Inclusion Quality Mark is a red flags?

StonewallSchoolInfluence Backstory - start of this term, the school announced all toilets were to become gender neutral (by taking signs off doors and removing urinals). There was a big fuss, school eventually backtracked and only made some blocks gender neutral. I personally had an email exchange with the deputy where I was lectured about being kind and inclusive.

I would find specific reporting that relates to the higher risk to girls from Mixed-sex facilities (always use that language - not gender neutral). You are looking for upskirting, photos, reports of female students not using the mixed-sex toilets all day, feedback from families of other ethnicities/religions. Apologies these are probably mixed into other threads and the resources (SSA/TT) that have already been suggested. The school need to be forced to reverse this decision totally.

(I would also be wondering about the finance to do this - where has the money come from and what has been cut to facilitate this wasted change).

Do you know any of the other parents who kicked up the fuss about the mixed-sex loos? Would a joint letter with them be a possibility?