How do I find out what Allsorts believe?

[thirdistheonewiththehairychest]

Hello,

My Y7 dd had a visitor in school from Allsorts yesterday: a trans person who, according to their bio on the website loves 'going into schools and showing young people how normal it is to be trans'.

This person has been into their school previously and we didn't feel the need to respond at that time as it was during LGBT+ month and so there were other similar things going on. However, I am concerned by the repeat visit and want to express my concern to the school.

The school is an all-girls school which prides itself on giving girls the message that girls can be or do whatever they like, free from stereotyping. Yet this person seems to be giving the message that if you don't 'feel like a girl' (whatever that means) then maybe you're not one. Allsorts is an organisation whose purpose is to support trans people, yet this was a compulsory workshop for all girls. I'm all for raising awareness of some of the challenges that trans people face, but feel that this is not the right way to do it, as there is a clear agenda here.

I'm starting to draft an email this morning, but I'm finding it really difficult to find any information online about what the organisation Allsorts actually believe, and therefore what they might have been telling the girls. I don't know for example if there has been any distinction made between gender and sex. Yesterday's session was about 'homophobia' according to my dd, and I am concerned about the labelling of any girl who might be brave enough to question what is being taught.

Doers anyone know anything about Allsorts? Where can I find out more about what they believe and what their agenda is?

Allsorts are responsible for the awful Trans Toolkit that was adopted by lots of local authorities for a while until Oxfordshire county council was challenged by a teenage girl and withdrew it. After that, lots of other local authorities followed suit.

In other words, Allsorts are indistinguishable from Mermaids, the Proud Trust, Educate and Celebrate and all the rest of the trans advocacy groups. Avoid like the plague.

Transgender Trend carried out an Assessment of the Allsorts toolkit:

https://www.transgendertrend.com/product/childrens-rights-impact-assessment-allsorts-trans-inclusion-schools-toolkit/

Apart from anything else 'loves showing people how normal it is to be trans'? Does that mean they love showing people how normal it is to have crippling gender dysphoria? And if it's not gender dysphoria, what is it?

These people.

Hugely helpful!! Thank you!

Allsorts are one of the WORST!

It was their ‘trans tool kit’ that kicked off a lot of crap policy in schools, especially around the South and SE region.

here’s Safe Schools Alliance’s submission to a parliamentary committee re: the Allsorts tool kit and various others derived from it.

https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/17134/pdf/

My DH outright asked his DD’s school if they were using the Allsorts advice to trans her without parental permission and they were extremely cagey in response (they deffo have Stonewall and Mermaids links but the Allsorts connection wasn’t publicised)

I'd put money on it the visitor shared the "you could be born in the wrong body" nonsense . Maybe rather than starting with a complaint, you could ask some questions? Express mild surprise that a trans activist group was invited to talk to children and ask for details of the due diligence that the school engaged in before paying this dodgy organisation?
Was the "presenter" DBS checked?
Ask for a copy of the spoken presentation & the activities set for children, including questions?
Did the school engage in any safeguarding measures to ensure that an adult presenting their personal decision to change sex as an act to be celebrated by children was age appropriate?

Get the school to justify why they are a suitable venue for vulnerable and often mentally unwell / confused adults to gaslight children about the desirability of their choices?

Thanks everyone, I have drafted our letter and I wonder if anyone would like to critique it? Have we asked the right questions? Have we worded them correctly? Have we got the tone right?

We want to come across as positive and supportive of the school, but very concerned about this issue.

Dear ---,

We weren't sure who exactly to send this email to but trust that you will know who to redirect it to if necessary.

My husband and I would like to express our concern regarding the repeat visit from the organisation Allsorts this week.

--- rightly prides itself on its desire to promote the belief that girls can be or do anything, free from stereotypes. The recent article on LinkedIn about the benefits of an all-girls education did much to encourage us that this is the best school for our daughter. We are concerned however that, by aligning yourselves with an organisation that promotes the questioning of gender, the girls are now being given a conflicting message: that if you don’t ‘feel like a girl’ (whatever that means), maybe you’re not one.

Allsorts is an organisation whose purpose is to support children and young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or exploring their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. We would like to question the appropriateness of making these workshops compulsory to all girls at what is a very formative and impressionable time of their lives.

Please see the attached Impact Assessment of the ‘Allsorts Trans Inclusion Schools Toolkit’, which sets out the many concerns that we have about the potential impact on the girls’ wellbeing and safeguarding. We strongly urge you to look into this; many local authorities have ceased the use of Trans Toolkits amidst concerns over safeguarding, and we are interested to know the following:

• What curriculum area does this teaching fall under?

• Are the pupils free to disagree with what is being taught and how is that facilitated?

• What makes Allsorts qualified to teach on this matter?

• What due diligence has been undertaken to safeguard against any negative impact of this teaching?

We look forward to hearing your response.

Many thanks,

That letter looks great and more parents need to be asking these questions.
As I left school today a crowd of parents were coming in to hear about our puberty talks and what was being covered- they wanted the meeting- which I think is a good thing. They are rightly concerned about the Scottish gvt curriculum content.

Parents are the pressure needed to get this out of schools.

Great letter!

If you get an unsatisfactory response, do consider asking for a face to face meeting.

I find reading aloud a direct extract from the orgs materials (in a very po-faced manner!) to be rather effective!

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread but this issue has reared its head for us again today.
In the school's weekly newsletter to parents, it transpires that the school is holding a non-uniform day next week in order to raise money for the work of Allsorts.

We are obviously not very happy about this and so are going to request a face-to-face meeting to reiterate our concerns in our originals email (which were fobbed off at the time by a member of staff who has since left).

Any further advice from people who have been through similar would be much appreciated!

Whilst I have had no run-in with Allsorts, I have managed to successfully counter No Outsiders, in my DD"s primary school. I had to raise the issue several times, got other parents on the case was threated with the police by the school and finally prompted a full parental review of the resources used.

I wrote a very long email, fully referenced, which is on the threads (captured DepHead, No Outsiders), which you/anyone else are welcome to pull to pieces and use, if helpful.

Is your school state or private? As that will make a difference.

Allsorts are a political lobby group. Schools are required by law to be politically neutral. It's not negotiable.
DfE Guidance here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools

It's a private school so I'm not sure if the political impartiality will apply to them?

That does make it more tricky, as one of the points I raised is that state schools have a statutory duty to not reinforce stereotypes.

However, I don't know if this applies to private schools.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/3283/made

PART 2

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

1. The standard about the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at the school is met if the proprietor—

(a)actively promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs;

(b)ensures that principles are actively promoted which—

(i)enable pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;

(ii)enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;

(iii)encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative and understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality in which the school is situated and to society more widely;

(iv)enable pupils to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;

(v)further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;

(vi)encourage respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act; and

(vii)encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England;

(c)precludes the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school; and

(d)takes such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that where political issues are brought to the attention of pupils—

(i)while they are in attendance at the school,

(ii)while they are taking part in extra-curricular activities which are provided or organised by or on behalf of the school, or

(iii)in the promotion at the school, including through the distribution of promotional material, of extra-curricular activities taking place at the school or elsewhere,

they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views.

Did you ever get a response to your letter,

That bit above is the law as it applies to private schools. I've bolded the relevant sentence.

I think it does apply to Independent schools - just as safeguarding guidance does.

That letter was excellent — how frustrating that you were fobbed off.

They could be raising money for cancer charities or children with disabilities but no, the people who are apparently fine and cool bring trans also need all the attention and donations.