Debate over Cass-style review of RSE in schools

[ResisterRex]

This is reported in today's Times and seems to have sparked a debate:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/953bd7ea-5942-11ed-9b1f-f7c251e9dfdc?shareToken=512e9c87f7103d1ba77a12b3501bbaa6

"Several groups have written to the new education secretary, Gillian Keegan, to ask for a “Cass review for schools”, claiming that some promote the idea that children are born in the wrong body. The Cass review identified failings at Tavistock’s gender identity development service in London, which is now going to close.

Campaign groups, including Sex Matters and Transgender Trend, wrote to Keegan at the end of last week expressing concern at transgender self-identification in schools.

They said: “Please commission an independent expert review of the promotion of gender ideology in schools, and its impact on gender distress and on child safeguarding.

“Parents contact us every week, distraught that a school is socially transitioning their child without adequate consideration for the child’s mental and physical health, and sometimes without even consulting them. Parents are told that if they raise concerns, they may be treated as a danger to their child and referred to social services.”"

Emerging Twitter discussions ongoing, with some not convinced eg this group:

twitter.com/nurtural_uk/status/1587348552505823233?s=46&t=Eekehy53cAPDIvynvFiMuA

At one point, there were calls for the Committee on Standards in Public Life to look at the capture of all institutions. What happened to that? That would seem to have been better. Surely the DfE and Charity Commission have all the evidence they could need by now. Another review or report will take time. Time we don't have.

I think if it gets groups a foot in the door, great, but the push must be for action now. On the back of the NHS England proposed service specs which make it clear social transition should be only supported under certain criteria (not arguing the weaknesses of this stance here) how, much more does DfE need to make change now?

Also, parent groups must be included in any discussions and ideally would be the lead at any group discussions. Parents are more than capable of speaking for themselves and arguably we know the ins and outs of the issue and what the impacts are better than anyone.

I think it needs to get away from the language of 'gender ideology' etc and instead ask for specific clarification of what children are being told a 'boy' and 'girl' are and how children are told they can find out whether they are a boy or a girl.

I'm not against beliefs per se but I am very much against the wilful misuse of language to confuse children into accepting sexist policies, like 'a girl is someone who likes certain things and acts a certain way'.
If they are teaching this, they need to make it clear.

Didn't the DoE issue advice to schools to drop 'born in the wrong body?'. Because it teaches children there may be something wrong with them?

Thanks for the reminder to write to GK OP. Hope there is a Cass style review, re education for activist teachers in light of Tavi closure and new NHS guidance.

The letter has now been published, and the order of things they are asking for makes more sense:

"We urge you to publish the long-awaited guidance for schools, in line with the previous Attorney General’s advice. This must enable whole-school rules, not continual negotiation. Schools should allow parents to inspect all RSE teaching materials.
Once those immediate steps have been taken, a “Cass Review for Schools” is urgently needed. Please commission an independent expert review of the promotion of gender ideology in schools, and its impact on gender distress and on child safeguarding. The medical principle to “first do no harm” should also be applied to schools"

sex-matters.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-Gillian-Keegan-Oct-2022.docx.pdf
sex-matters.org/posts/updates/we-call-for-a-cass-review-for-education/

The letter is from: Sex Matters, Bayswater Support Group, Fair Play For Women, LGB Alliance, Safe Schools Alliance and Transgender Trend

I would go further on the materials though, and say that schools mustn't enter into contracts that mean schools can't provide copies to parents. Inspection in a school means that parents will have to take time off work to go and look, which seems unfair and not in the spirit of where you want to be with your child's school. You want a good relationship and a dialogue, not a first and final offer of a time you can't make, and then they have done what they're supposed to. We want things to improve, not be enabled to stay entrenched.

I'm a teacher and that guidance has never come through to me though I don't lead RSE. However, teachers put their own spin on lessons so it's important it does come down to all.

It needs to be linked to Cass as Cass is linking it to police via reporting of accessing drugs illegally and via safeguarding protocol.

To me it needs to be part of safeguarding protocol. So in KCSIE.

Currently there's a line about child on child abuse and moves on to tackling homophobic and transphobic bullying.

That's easily interpreted as "let's talk about being nice to trans people" - so let's look at what that is, unless it's specifically says in KCSIE, which all staff would see.

They need to stop outsourcing to random groups of extremists and provide (sensible) teaching materials from a single, central source.

@WarriorN I found this onlinefrom 2020 www.christianpost.com/news/uk-dept-of-education-issues-guidance-against-born-in-the-wrong-body-gender-lessons-in-sex-ed.html

It's a useful article to quote but seems the message hasn't got through.

But the groups who think gender matters more than sex think that 'sex matters' is the extremist position.

But it objectively isn't the extremist position and we need to stop pandering to people who believe otherwise.

The whole point of all this is to get back to material, objective reality.

Thanks, yes i know of the guidance.

My point is, not because of my school. It's never been in a briefing etc. it may have been taken on board by those who write the pshe/ RSE curriculum but I don't know.

My point is that if an teacher on the chalk face doesn't know, they may happily chat to the class about what they think they know about it being a ok to discuss transgender concepts.

Ofsted don't look for it that I know of. They do look for and quiz staff about safeguarding when they visit.

The guidance needs to be part of KCSIE so that Ofsted are all over it. Then schools take notice.

Schools do what ever Ofsted are looking for. Ofsted said that they ask schools about workload and if slt are managing it. When they said that, suddenly schools try to reduce workload.

If a Cass style enquiry helps cement it in stone (Ofsted and KCSIE) so be it but it's going to take too long imo. Actual Cass is making it clear that watchful waiting is appropriate. And the safeguarding protocols to follow. It should be the opposite in schools.

The other issue is that you now have increasing numbers of people who class themselves as trans or have transitioned (more frequently the former, non binary etc) entering schools as teaching staff or TAs etc.

They need to be able to recognise that their situation as adults must not be projected onto children. And if they're professional, they will.

But it's the training colleges too.

I can't see that they're taking the guidance on board. Most dismiss it as Tory tripe as far as I can see.

It needs to be KCSIE and Ofsted.

"Several groups have written to the new education secretary, Gillian Keegan, to ask for a “Cass review for schools”, claiming that some promote the idea that children are born in the wrong body.

Teaching ‘gender identity’ in RSE lessons on school, teaches - by implication - that a person may have been born with a body which is wrong for their ‘gender identity’. Being taught this could lead to gender non-conforming children to believe they are in the wrong body and that they need to change their body.

You may be interested to know there is currently a petition to
Remove references to 'gender identity' from relationships education guidance
which you should find comes up on the petition.parliament.uk website.

Musomama1 · 01/11/2022 14:57
@WarriorN I found this onlinefrom 2020 www.christianpost.com/news/uk-dept-of-education-issues-guidance-against-born-in-the-wrong-body-gender-lessons-in-sex-ed.html

It's a useful article to quote but seems the message hasn't got through.

Unfortunately, even though the guidance is good, with Christian in the title there will be many people who dismiss it out of hand as being far-right, fascist, extremism without even looking at it.

Sorry, I meant to say, ‘though the article is good’.

I'd go as far as to say most heads and pshe leads aren't aware of the DfE guidance, never mind classroom teachers. I seem to be the only teacher at my school aware of it. Training on trans is bought in directly from Stonewall. Our trans policy is written by Equaliteach (just as bad). If you're an MN regular, I think it's probably hard to compute just how captured education still is.

This. Many schools have LGBT etc groups - mixed age, no oversight, safeguarding free zones. Nobody questions them - but I'd bet they'd question a group for straight children to discuss their views on sex / sexuality

The unthinking teaching of gender ideology is everywhere and until parents wise up and insist that this stops - children will continue to be caught up in it fuelled by what's happening in schools

The guidance for schools below is from the Gov.uk site.

I find it wrong that LGBT is a a single heading in the guidance given that the elements LGB are about sex based orientation, while the T element dismisses sex as being essential and unchangeable.

This heading is in itself a problematic conflation of opposing ideas. In fact gay children may be effectively caused to think they are trans because of the embedded T.

It has become a single brand-slogan even on this government guidance.

Lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
In teaching Relationships Education and RSE, schools should ensure that the needs of all pupils are appropriately met, and that all pupils understand the importance of equality and respect. Schools must ensure that they comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010 and The Equality Act 2010: advice for schools, under which sexual orientation and gender reassignment are amongst the protected characteristics.

Schools should ensure that all of their teaching is sensitive and age appropriate in approach and content. At the point at which schools consider it appropriate to teach their pupils about LGBT, they should ensure that this content is fully integrated into their programmes of study for this area of the curriculum rather than delivered as a stand-alone unit or lesson. Schools are free to determine how they do this, and we expect all pupils to have been taught LGBT content at a timely point as part of this area of the curriculum.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/introduction-to-requirements

This is very an important point. It is very difficult to remain neutral and rational without projecting, eps something so very sensitive and sentimental.

I think we need a schools census, every school should be asked how many children’s sex markers they have changed over the last ten years, year by year, and how many children they have on roll who ID as trans right now.

Also, how many staff have the gender reassignment protected characteristic.

No need for names of staff or students, just anonymous numbers. Every school counts on the same day.

We have no idea of the scale of this, especially as many parents have resisted a GIDS referral.

Let’s find out where the hotspots are on a map.

@FlawlessSquid since I wrote that (name adjustment) I've become aware of a private send school near here that has a couple of non binary staff. The numbers of children "identifying as" various things has increased in their classes. This has been related to me via concerned parents and an ex staff member.