Miriam Cates report on RSE

[RPMcMurphy]

Starting a new thread as this report is being discussed in others and I think it needs a thread of its own.

Report available here:
www.newsocialcovenant.co.uk/RSE%20BRIEFING%20FINAL%201631%20(IS)_small.pdf

Lots of media attention around it, even mainstream TV news, and plenty of press.

(Not) to my surprise, there is quite a bit of pushback on social media, of the usual 'it isn't happening, and even if it is it's only in a few schools, and even if it is in a lot of schools who cares you are all pearl-clutching bigots'.

Also unsurprised by the response of head teachers, given the numerous reports here on Mumsnet about their behaviour when parents express concerns:
“Head teachers said they were unhappy about the review. James Bowen, director of policy the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “It is hard to be anything other than deeply concerned by this announcement.”"

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fb68df7c-bdc4-11ed-8959-aac6a1130ac2?shareToken=bf5da7c9d4de81e288a9d29fa865ba99

Please please please write to your MP, ccing the Pm and Gillian Keegan to say you support this review and that it must be quick and independent. Let them know that this is popular!

Do not allow the naysayers to have the loudest voices.

"Is a radical idea of sex and sexuality being taught in schools, and if so, what?"

www.writetothem.com/

They just had a teacher on LBC who said he was told - on a CPD inset day - to "praise the sexual debut" of those aged 13 and above

Ffs.

Still, at least this announcement will start the lifting of the stones so we can all see what crawls out.

WTAF?

SSAUK have an example they've provided a journalist seemingly unable to check for himself. And it got restricted by Twitter due to the content. But it's fine for kids in schools?

https://twitter.com/safeschoolsuk/status/1633929680658022403?s=46&t=WHoOZZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

They fucking WHAT

This feels a bit like buck passing.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/09/ofsted-chiefs-warning-explicit-sex-education-lessons/

Ofsted chief’s warning over explicit sex education lessons
Alarm at current guidance which places 'no limits' on what can be taught to children

SSA has been raising the alarm, reporting schools, sharing evidence and writing to Spielman for 4 years. All ignored

twitter.com/safeschools_uk/status/1633947923745480704?s=46&t=Wq3dfWqv1vG3lWpAJf89FQ

Yes. We could not believe the awful irony.

I agree schools have been met down by DfE but this is where their safeguarding frameworks and training should have kicked in and sone professional curiosity shown.

It sounds like people (who have been steadfastly ignoring all the concerns previously raised to them) are now busy trying to shift blame- the whole “Mistakes Were Made- But Not by Me”.

It’s good to have another influential voice talking about it, but I’m unclear as to why not having a ceiling on what was taught meant Ofsted was unable to get involved in clear safeguarding breaches.

We wrote to the ASCL and we have had numerous conversations with Rachel Warwick when she was president. Continuously dismissed - nobody in a senior position can say they did not know.

Sorry for influx of messages - just catching up. It's been a busy few days.

@2fallsfromSSA
Why not contact Tom Swarbrick (LBC), 2falls?
From what I've heard of him, he's quite sensible on sex v gender issues, and he was horrified by what he was hearing today. But he did say no one had given him any evidence that M Cates wasn't just using inflammatory exaggeration.

We are happy to talk to him but it would only take a look at our website and twitter feed to see evidence!

But he might not know about you. Maybe email?

Victoria Derbyshire (on Newsnight) is currently patronising a Tory MP re his support for the Miriam Cates report.

Derbyshire has a sex educator in the studio - both she and the educator are dismissing his concerns as outdated and are disbelieving the examples of lesson content Cates gave in the chamber at Westminster.

Derbyshire keeps trying to get the Tory MP to use explicit language to describe the sex acts that were mentioned in sex education lessons he objects to.

Why do BBC always portray this as sensible liberals vs fuddyduddies 🤬 There’s a proper debate that needs to happen here but it’s not being facilitated.

@CryptoFascistMadameCholet I was teaching y4 in early noughties and we did this. Hardly any parents came but we offering them the opportunity. They watched the video etc.

We also do this in my current seething though some parents can't travel. But the resources all go home with the child as it's SEND

I genuinely don't know what's gone awry.

The thing is they can publish the resources but things like gender woo is increasing creeping into literacy lessons via books and pride celebrations

However, headteachers who have allowed stuff like the Proud Trust’s explicit dice game into their schools need to be held accountable. Anyone who looked at that and said ‘yep fine’ either had a serious lapse in their normal professionalism OR isn’t suited to work with children at all.

It can be more complex than this.

A friend is a MH commissioner in a local area (also a Gp) They had increasing stats of children seeing gps about gender identity but also sexuality for some reason. He had the capacity to commission a project to help work on ideas of not fitting into boxes and labels. To go into schools and youth clubs. I did notice lots of schools in that area had been doing their pride flag scheme.

He's basically GC but not up to speed with political stuff. His intentions were good but it ended up being the proud trust. I said I wasn't sure they were the best but tbh I've no idea who would

No outsiders was bought in by my local LA as part of a council wide project on extremism. I don't know if schools were targeted or invited.

If the local nhs and council are putting these things into schools, schools do assume they're 'trusted sources.' So guidance around not using external sources is confused - they're being told to.

School Governor here. I actually think that head teachers and governors have been put in a really difficult position. There is real pressure from some parents to affirm their child’s ‘gender identity’, and precious little guidance from the D of E on how to deal with conflicting views. And as they have so many other serious issues to deal with, the temptation to just copy a Mermaids approved Trans Policy document is real

Also hard when local CAHMS signpost that way too.

I've said before that as KCSIE (the law on safeguarding) doesn't explicitly outline anything relevant to these situations.

It does mention bullying and specifies transphobia.

It leaves a gaping hole when discussing impact of misogyny and sexual assaults on young by not mentioning single sex spaces.

There need to be gov regulation for any charity or organisation writing sex Ed resources

Have you got a link to his tweets and we can reply with examples

Another article in the Times this morning: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e5dd1594-bee4-11ed-8959-aac6a1130ac2?shareToken=4532844316ba5aa86983752f6b004d7c

Does anyone have an archive version of this Telegraph article?