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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Template for writing to school over Equalities policy

3 replies

BacktoSlack · 06/02/2023 10:41

I've been a long time lurker and occasional poster and I've finally got the courage up to write to the secondary school my children will go to in a couple of years.

Their Equalities policy mentions 9 protected characteristics, and I'm sure we can all guess which one of these is incorrectly stated. Interestingly they also have an Equalities policy statement which stated that they have updated their policy to adhere more closely to the Equalities act. I read the statement first and got all excited, then read the policy and had a heart sinking moment.

Are there any templates which I can use to inform the school that their Equalities policy quotes the Equalities act inaccurately and the implications of this mistake?

It's a fairly big secondary school so I'm worried about the lack of single sex loos in the main areas meaning girls after somewhere single sex will have a longer walk, ditto changing rooms, and also prizes and eg stem streams aimed at girls.

They mention having a Girls officer and an LGBTQ officer, I was really pleased yo see they have both as the specific provision for trans pupils is there and therefore shouldn't come out of the allocation of time for biological girls.

Couple of screenshots attached. It's an area where there are a lot of disadvantaged white families which I assume is the reason behind specifying white girls, before anyone asks. One feeder school is in a catchment area with mainly poor white families and another feeder school is very close to the university so lots of ethnically diverse much more educated families - I imagine the school sees a real divide here

Template for writing to school over Equalities policy
Template for writing to school over Equalities policy
OP posts:
BacktoSlack · 06/02/2023 10:43

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

BacktoSlack · 06/02/2023 15:25

Also EP statement

And bump

Template for writing to school over Equalities policy
OP posts:
OhHolyJesus · 06/02/2023 16:09

I would check out Safe Schools Alliance for their template letters and also email Sex Matters as Helen Joyce did a talk on schools at WPUK and there might be a video on that coming out.

safeschoolsallianceuk.net/resources-2/letter-templates/#Sex_is_an_Equality_Act_Protected_Characteristic_letter

sex-matters.org/posts/publications/sex-and-gender-model-policy-for-schools/

This school are talking about gender and gender identity as if these are recognised in law when these are not protected characteristics at all.

Depending on how far you want to go as an initial first step you could share the Akua Reindorf report of Essex Uni as they used Stonewall Law and got in trouble for misrepresenting the Equalities Act.

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