Help with School Please

[Justsurfing]

Hello All

My son has recently started secondary school and I have received a letter informing me that they are engaging the support of the specialist organisation 'BigTalk Education' to deliver relationship and sex education

I know there have been lots of threads around schools and ideas when approaching which I plan to use however, I don't ever recall seeing anything about this particular organisation........ has anyone heard of them?

I have a meeting with school on Friday to update my sons learning plan (he has a learning disability) and wanted to drop it in with the SENCO that I would like a meeting with the teacher leading this area of education at the school.

Any help or advice much appreciated........ this is what the letter said:

Dear Parent/Guardian, I hope this letter finds you well.
In response to our changing society and the impact of the Internet, the Government have introduced statutory Relationship & Sex Education to Secondary Schools. These lessons are not new and have been delivered in Schools since the last guidance in 2000, however some of the content has now been updated to help keep young people safer.

School is here to help; we are engaging the support of the specialist organization, BigTalk Education, who are a social enterprise recognised by national leading bodies and government. They work with 3 to 18 year olds and have been involved in delivering age appropriate education of this type for over 20 years. They also deliver training for Professionals, Parents & Carers.

Below is some information on the “Lessons 4 Life” programme that will be delivered by BigTalk Education, it reflects the recommendations of the Statutory Government Guidance, Ofsted & Sex Education Forum (SEF) Year 7 Introduction to Secondary RSE, starting with year 7’s on 5-1-23.
The basis of knowledge of year 7 pupils can vary considerably dependent on the quality of their primary RSE provision or lack thereof. This lesson is designed to establish knowledge levels, ensure consistent accurate knowledge of core topics and back fill gaps.

Themes covered include proactive safeguarding, reproduction, puberty, relationships, body image, gender and reliable sources of information.

More information is available on BigTalk’s website, www.bigtalkeducation.co.uk

Just bumping this as it probably got missed in yesterday's Westminster excitement.

I've not got kids so this stuff passes me by mainly but until someone else comes along check out Safe Schools alliance (I think that's what they are called) and the sex matters website as well.

www.transgendertrend.com/department-for-education-rse-guidance-schools/

Here's a Transgender Trend article about the DfE guidance. It links through to the guidance so you can read the full text yourself but it's a good start to remind schools of these duties when teaching this topic.

I don’t have first hand info on this org but having just checked out their founder and their team, I am cautiously optimistic on your behalf OP. None of the usual suspects appear to endorse them, plenty of sensible sounding issues mentioned (such as improving quality and access to sex ed for boys in order to address young fatherhood rates) plus they seem to be experienced.

Wooah! Big red flags. I just looked at their website, at the info on their Founder, and it says:
Lynnette was the Chair of the Sex Education Forum‘s advisory board from 2018 to 2020, during which time RSE became statutory.

Now, my own Council (Shropshire) has powerpoint teaching from this Sex Education Forum, clearly created by them, and branded by them, I think produced in 2018. So when she was chair.

This powerpoint is a horror story, it contains such gems as:
'Everyone has a Gender Identity'
'Avoid assumptions about pupils identity'
“All trans children have problems, but those problems are not caused by being trans... The problem is everyone else’s attitude towards trans children and young people”
The powerpoint links to the dreadful Brighton & Hove City Council Transgender guidance. It links to GIRES.
One slide of the Powerpoint links to the BBC video 'I am Leo' (but luckily this does not play, as it has been withdrawn by the BBC)
Another slide links to the dreadful video about a 'transgender child' which says that she was transgender because she liked spiderman.

This is a link to this Sex Education Forum's powerpoint so that you can see for yourself:
www.shropshirelg.net/media/438027/Ppt-Slides-for-HBT-training-PRIMARY.pdf
Hope this helps!

thank you for the re-bump....... yes yesterday was pretty busy wasnt it 😀

Four screen shots from the above. I didn't bother with the inflated self harm/suicide stats shots that explained their decision, not quite a rather a transgender son than a dead daughter but not far off.

Below is their response to their daughter saying she wanted to be a boy.

Did they do the decent thing and sit her down and explain that all of those "boy" things she loved aren't actually boy things and that she was just as entitled to do, wear, enjoy them as boys are or did they agree that there was something obviously wrong with a girl liking Spider-Man and Bob the Builder ??

Seriously what is wrong with parents like this!?

Oh my, this doesnt look good! i will take a look thank you so much for sending all of this info

More horror. In the 'our team' section of the Big Talk Education website, it says
we are affiliated to the Sex Education Forum
So this link is current, not just in the info about the founder (which I described in my last post).

So, go to the Sex Education Forum's website
www.sexeducationforum.org.uk/

And, oh look, in their 'e-learning resources' it links to the Genderbread person website, directly
www.genderbread.org/

There are other red-flag links, to the Proud Trust and Stonewall.
🚩

thank you... why did i not see this!!

Poor child, verging on a good cry watching this video

I've just called the school to say I want a conversation with the teacher who is organising this today, I cant wait until Friday I'm fuming!!

@Justsurfing it's appalling isn't it? I've not dared click on the link @oldwomanwhoruns posted as I'm not sure my blood pressure could cope today!I

I can't believe they are showing this crap to kids.

It's so wrong.

Good luck with your talk to the organiser.

Good luck OP!
Whatever they tell you about the lovely, fluffy content of the course, remember that it says on their website
we are affiliated to the Sex Education Forum

And this is the elearning resources page of the Sex Education Forum:
www.sexeducationforum.org.uk/gender-matters-elearning-resources

@Boiledbeetle that video is just the pits, isn't it. It gives 'transgender' as a medical diagnosis, and then just moves on to social transitioning... that poor child.
This video is being shown to kids here in Shropshire. I have complained to the Council, they just ignore my complaints.

A love of short hair, trucks and spiderman makes a child male?

This goes against the progress made in equal opportunities for girls and boys.

The kind of clothes and hair girls routinely had in the 1970s would be seen today as leaning towards trans.

@oldwomanwhoruns I'm so worried for the children being shown this rubbish at all but if they have to then at least a "but this is just what some people think and this is what biology says..." Then have a discussion as to why liking"boy " things is so not acceptable as a reason to think you're a boy in the 21st century. it should be so much more about accepting the body you are born in and that these days you can do pretty much anything that the other sex can do. That's all young children need to know.

I honestly can't believe we are going so bloody backwards.

I bet the council haven't even watched it.

Miriam Cates has been asking the question again (a day or so ago) to Nick Gibb. Useful video as he explicitly says that lesson materials should be shared if parents ask to see them.

Nick Gibb is a line of red flags - in cahoots with Stonewall, disinterested in safeguarding but very keen on inclusive toilets etc & handwaves away letters of parental concerns about inappropriate ideological / political pressure on children. He's been at the centre of what's been allowed to go into schools for many years and the thought of him and the clueless Gillian Keegan having so much influence on Education is truly terrifying.

Miriam Cates is excellent.

The teacher just called! clearly had no idea about who Stonewall was, the fact children with Autism/learning disabilities are much more likely to go along with this nonsense, and that stereotyping is what the DoE guidance says not to do!

I'm actually glad I asked for a call whilst I was feeling angry after watching that damn video, poor women got it both barrels!

It did make me laugh when she had to write down that I'm 'Gender Critical', I told her not to get too excited by that as its protected in the Equality Act 😝

I have urged her to look further into this organisation and that if she needs any advice I will happily help and point her in the right direction.

When asked she confirmed that the school would:

• let me see lesson plans and any resources used to teach my child on gender ideology well in advance of lessons
• ensure that my child will be allowed to have a different view, without being made a social outcast

By the end of the call she actually said good on you for taking such a protective interest in your child.

I'm happy, for now but will keep a close eye on things. Thank you all so so much for your help i really do appreciate it

@Justsurfing good to hear. Although you can assume my opinions on teachers that just blindly teach stuff they know nothing about!

I hope it continues to go well.

(She no doubt could feel your righteous anger!)😁