Schools ‘let pupils switch gender without informing parents’ - Policy Exchange Report

[rogdmum]

There’s a raft of coverage in the Times and the Mail today:

<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/2023.03.30-014418/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/schools-let-pupils-switch-gender-without-informing-parents-pppbphkgq?shareToken=a982976ca8c81a3e9ea0e21ee76f3364" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://archive.ph/2023.03.30-014418/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/schools-let-pupils-switch-gender-without-informing-parents-pppbphkgq?shareToken=a982976ca8c81a3e9ea0e21ee76f3364

Half of schools turn to outside agencies for sex education:

<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/2023.03.30-015239/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/half-of-schools-turn-to-outside-agencies-for-sex-education-zzqqsmgb0?shareToken=111ada6e40d464c85ba4f6d11703fbd8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://archive.ph/2023.03.30-015239/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/half-of-schools-turn-to-outside-agencies-for-sex-education-zzqqsmgb0?shareToken=111ada6e40d464c85ba4f6d11703fbd8

The magnificent Rosie Duffield:

<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/2023.03.30-015234/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rosie-duffield-schools-are-failing-in-their-duty-to-protect-gender-distressed-children-9zzsk06j9?shareToken=fbad1f25d0a39dad9cb1bc35292664d7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://archive.ph/2023.03.30-015234/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rosie-duffield-schools-are-failing-in-their-duty-to-protect-gender-distressed-children-9zzsk06j9?shareToken=fbad1f25d0a39dad9cb1bc35292664d7

Rosie nails it:

”Iis universally accepted that safeguarding is fundamental to a responsible society. These principles are well-established, enshrined in law, and applicable to all organisations and functions relating to children. There is never a good reason why safeguarding should be compromised, especially within school, where children spend the majority of their time outside of the home environment.”

”The rising number of children reporting gender distress, and the treatment of those children within clinical settings, is rightly being given the attention it deserves. In an NHS-commissioned independent review, Dr Hilary Cass found the Tavistock clinic to be adopting an “unquestioning, affirmative approach” without exploring other factors causing these children’s distress.
Affirmation as a one-size-fits-all solution has been discredited.

Thankfully, the clinic is being shut down. However, Policy Exchange has revealed something even more concerning: the same approach is being facilitated in schools, which breaks every safeguarding rule in the book.”

So there's some movement. But it sounds panicked, and still not right. "Case by case" without proper reference to medical experts to help the vanishingly small number of children who'd actually benefit from social transitioning will not change things.

Interesting. If the government is recognising Dfe and Keegan being part of the problem- ie can’t be fully trusted to sort it out- it might add urgency to getting guidance out. As ever, though, it needs to be well thought out and robust

Resister I would imagine activist schools will say they do it on a case by case basis but somehow it will turn out that in their professional opinion every child to date should have their social transition supported.

Government has been gearing up to weaponise this issue against Labour for some time - which is unsurprising and perfectly reasonable, if disingenuous, considering the part they’ve played in it - and is now panicking because unless something is done quickly about schools they themselves are very exposed indeed.
I’m quite enjoying the discomfiture of both sides in this case, though it doesn’t make up for the indignities and unpleasantness heaped on the poor kids who have been damaged by this pernicious ideology.

I recall Ruth Hunt and Owen Jones laughing at it all being a little admin.

Case by case will likely look like this as described by CS Lewis:-

I like bats much better than bureaucrats. I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of “Admin.” The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid “dens of crime” that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern.

It still hasn't occurred to this government that they've been part of the problem. There's a limit to how they can weaponise it as the absolute carnage is revealed in some schools.
And yes - case by case basis is get out clause. I understand why it's there as this has gone so far in some schools and for some poor mentally unwell children but schools need some robust advice that focuses on their key roles and puts the responsibilities for this squarely in the hands of parents, medics and psychologists. Not untrained teachers.

It is ridiculous that despite ALL the evidence she is still using such appeasing language. Case by case is a nonsense, schools will say that's what they are doing and the cases they have require the action they have taken.

Here is our response to that:

twitter.com/safeschools_uk/status/1641685340950872065?s=46&t=Wq3dfWqv1vG3lWpAJf89FQ

I understand a psychologist can't practice unless they affirm.

After GIDS, watching Prince Harry have the best access to psychology (which seems like a misogynistic cult to me) and the ever increasing uncured mental health numbers, I am not convinced it's always the best or only answer for all people, it just hasn't got all the answers, I don't know what does. I do think checking for basics like malnutrition in autistic children with limited diets should be considered for instance.

It does appear to be the case that if a department and minister is in hock to trans ideology - as pushed and promoted by Stonewall etc- then it is frustratingly slow for the "government" to get clear traction on a move forward. I remember reading Kemi Badenoch saying that she was actively discouraged by officials from talking to Kiera Bell about one issue and the officials were just pushing gender ideology proponents forward as experts and lived experience supporters to talk to her.

Depressing isn't it? One answer is in curtailing social contagion and removing the organisations from school currently grooming children into believing they've got the wrong body, are trans or genderqueer as a 9 year old etc.
Remove all those groups now .Schools are meant to be politically impartial.

Kemi Badenoch is on R4 at 8:20. Interview isn't in this but it's possible she might be asked

Yes

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0df1a300-1022-11ed-b7aa-67f5549661eb?shareToken=d76eac38474f0b3d4f1372e12ceb3454

"The government machine wants to be comfortable and consensual and campaigners and activists know how to take advantage of this. A minister asking tricky questions can be stopped in their tracks by accusations of stoking “culture wars”. Minutes of private meetings with whistleblowers and concerned citizens can be selectively leaked or become the subject of numerous innocent-looking freedom of information requests, designed to identify targets for harassment on social media, as I discovered in one unfortunate case."

And

"I was astonished that in trying to help mostly gay children whose childhoods were being destroyed by experimental treatment, I was misrepresented by mischief-makers and their friends in certain media outlets as being anti-LGBT with slurs gleefully retweeted by Labour politicians such as Angela Rayner and Chris Bryant."

@ResisterRex thanks for that. interesting snippets from that article

"It would be wrong to portray the entirety of the civil service as hostile on these issues. Far from it. A small minority of activist officials are the tail wagging the dog, often to the dismay of their colleagues and the hand-wringing of far more senior officials. This includes some permanent secretaries who are too scared to challenge their own staff and instead see ministers as obstreperous."

"The Whitehall machine often becomes the voice of interest groups in government rather than government’s voice to interest groups. This stems from a sincere, yet naive, belief that you can appease special interests with platitudes and “lines to take”. The truth is some battles have to be fought and won.
This requires strengthening a civil service that is terrified of controversy and recalibrating it towards policy and away from posturing on issues it believes as too “contentious”."

We are lucky to have Kemi as the Minister for Equalities and Women

Good piece by Bel Mooney in the DM today on this here.

At the moment, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan exhibits the urgency of a sloth

From the Mail article, spot on, Ms Mooney.

The Times view:

The Times view on teaching gender identity: Classroom Minefield

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/3438783a-cf36-11ed-9a00-73fd2b90e22e?shareToken=247281943f4cdff1ee5c7c2964d2ea4b

Labour have a bloody nerve , when Starmer and Co have embraced the whole crazy ideology

Labour will make this even worse (yes that's possible):

twitter.com/uklabour/status/1641689281617088512?s=46&t=WHoOZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

What a fucking mess this all is.

Government announcement / update from Keegan and Kemi:

www.gov.uk/government/news/review-of-relationships-sex-and-health-education-to-protect-children-to-conclude-by-end-of-year

Review of relationships, sex and health education to protect children to conclude by end of year
Review to be informed by expert panel, in response to concerning reports of inappropriate content being taught

From:
Department for Educationn, The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MPP, and The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MPP_
Published
31 March 2023

New Relationships, Sex, Health and Education (RSHE) statutory guidance will be completed by the end of the year, in response to disturbing reports that inappropriate material is being taught in some schools.
The review is needed to make sure all children are protected from inappropriate content in all cases, even if many schools already teach RSHE and engage parents in a positive way.
The review, which was recently accelerated by the Prime Minister and Education Secretary, will be informed by an independent panel to be appointed over the coming weeks to provide external expertise. The panel will bring together input from health, children’s development, curriculum and safeguarding. The review will also draw on close work with Ofsted, to understand what material is currently used in the classroom, and consider what improvements might need to be made.
The panel will advise on how to put in place clear safeguards to stop pupils from being taught contested and potentially damaging concepts, including introducing age ratings setting out what is appropriate to be taught at what age, to prevent children being taught concepts they are too young to understand.
Oak National Academy, the independent provider of freely available online curriculum and lesson resources, will develop curriculum materials to make sure every school can access high-quality, compliant resources which will build on what is already available for schools. This will help support teachers as they develop their curriculum and lesson planning in this sensitive area.
The Education Secretary has also today written to schools to remind them they are required by law to publish a relationships or a relationships and sex education policy and consult parents on it, and should also provide all curriculum materials to parents and stop entering into contracts that seek to prevent parents from seeing materials.
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan said:
I am deeply concerned about reports of inappropriate lessons being taught in schools.
This urgent review will get to the heart of how RSHE is currently taught and should be taught in the future. This will leave no room for any disturbing content, restore parents’ confidence, and make sure children are even better protected.
The letter makes clear that parents should be able to view all curriculum materials, and that parents can ask to see material if it has not already been shared, especially in relation to sensitive topics.
The review will also consider how to make sure all RSHE teaching is factual and does not present contested views on sensitive topics as fact.
It will also engage widely with those working with children across the education and health sectors.
The government is determined to make sure RSHE teaching leaves children equipped to make informed decisions about their health, wellbeing and relationships, in a sensitive way that reflects their stage of development.
The government expects new statutory guidance to be released in the coming months. It will then be subject to public consultation to conclude by the end of the year, coming into statutory force as soon as possible after that.
Separately, the Education Secretary, working with the Minister for Women and Equalities, will publish guidance for schools for the summer term on how to respond to children who are questioning their gender identity.

Considering budgets are evidently so squeezed in schools it begs the question as to why they are paying £££ for matériels. There must be some materials somewhere eg on TES that can be used?

It would be excellent if all parents could now request full copies and when it's denied, due to 'commercial sensitivity' the firms are added to a list and schools to stop using those materials immediately. Any school shelling out ££££ to outside providers should have to justify why Ofsted.

I would have liked to see this go further in that all children must be called by their name as registered at the school until this is settled. Teachers should not have to put up with all this name changing and pronouns nonsense. I am really surprised they do it, it must be so stressful.

The review will also consider how to make sure all RSHE teaching is factual and does not present contested views on sensitive topics as fact.

This means trans ideology.

So if all the teaching is supposed to be factual, are they still intending to present trans ideology in the context of 'contested views on sensitive topics.'. As a belief system? Why? You might as well present witchcraft, or ghost hunting.

If Sunak is really worried about how all this is going to blow up, he needs to properly join the bloody dots between swathes of children thinking they are trans, and those same children, being taught that yes they probably bloody are.

He needs to stop it entirely. Not still present it as an option.

Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Budists, atheists can request why schools are teaching this faith and fabricating that they are a secular school? Why are they using taxpayers money on scripture from these organisations, erecting alters aka mixed sex spaces (which is against guidance) for this quazi religion and not fostering good relationships between protected characteristics.

Schools are taking away parental responsibility on names and family world views causing problems in families, what made them believe that they have this right over other peoples children they carried, birthed and reared?

Teachers will not be who the children want to give a speech at their Wedding, they aren't who a woman will want with her in labour, they are nothing to children in the overall lifespan of a human. Who do they think they are? Why is there this type of culture in schools?

Our kids are preached Christianity in Scottish schools, they go to a church service (this is a non-denom school). I don't much like it, I'm an agnostic, but I tolerate it and try to discuss these issues openly and sensitively with them.

I treat 'gender' in the same way. A wacky belief that I don't share, but my children are forced to endure lessons on it so I have to talk about it with them and we are very clear on the issues with the ideology.

Schools should be properly secular, imo. They should learn about different belief systems even handedly and without fear or favour.

https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1641689281617088512?s=20

What is conversion therapy? What is hate and who decides?

If a family has a world view does that include schools indoctrination of children or indoctrination of family members at work - that goes against a family world view?

I also found something Matt Walsh said recently along the lines of Diversity, inclusion and equality are HR slogans, they aren't a moral code in which to live your life.