Remarkably Balanced Article in The Guardian: “ Trans pupils put school policies to test amid heated debate in England”

[rogdmum]

Starts with a scary teacher who says:

”We’re not trying to say to parents that we know best. We are working in the child’s best interests. We will do what we can to support them – what they ask for is what they will get. We work for the students, we don’t work for the parents essentially,”

But goes on to quote Bayswater and schools that seem to have at least a sneaking suspicion that this is not as simple as some would make out and actually there are safeguarding issues.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/08/trans-pupils-put-school-policies-test-heated-debate-england?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

The article makes out like the safeguarding concern isn't children (mostly girls) mutilating themselves, but the dinosaur parents trying to persuade them to accept the bodies they were born with.

Just dropping this in here - not sure if it's just me but Sex Matters seem to be on a roll lately, their webinars have been on the equality act amendment following the petition but also teenagers and parents of teens.

Another one next week:

Join us next week when our director of advocacy, Helen Joyce, will be talking to researcher Matilda Gosling and psychotherapist Stella O’Malley about how parents can discuss gender-identity ideology with their children in a compassionate and evidence-based way.

I've been watching the Genspect videos back and can see why it's really important that parents have practical advice.

You can book a place and get more details here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WNOXXwPTYYTq63sASFoBY9FQ?mcccid=f7141d9673&mceid=42bc777a8a#/registration

"Beth" sounds like a Susie Green style zealot.

Her "hanging up her whiteboard pens" would be the best thing to happen to that school because she is clearly a safeguarding nightmare.

I'm starting to think that schools need a national whistleblowing system where concerned teachers can anonymously report these kind of overreaches and safeguarding issues in their schools without risking their jobs. I'm quite sure many of Beth's colleagues are quietly horrified about what is going on in that school but afraid to speak out.

MargotBamborough · Today 19:22
I'm starting to think that schools need a national whistleblowing system where concerned teachers can anonymously report these kind of overreaches and safeguarding issues in their schools

Yes, and parents report too, that would be a good idea.

I do wonder what Ofsted would do if this school was reported to them? They were a Stonewall champion but have now abandoned that.

In the face of such evident dangerous practice & in the light of Cass, Ofsted would be in a difficult position if they sanctioned such dodgy behaviour. Is it too much to hope that a parent (or staff) will recognise "Beth" and report the school?

Agreed. I'm only seeing small steps towards balance. Not actual balance.

I think Beth's approach is terrible practice. The lack of DfE guidance means "good practice" is very subjective and seems to often come down to self-appointed and self-declared experts like Beth.

Did a teacher really say “we’ve just done a trip”? What appalling use of English. No wonder they need some assistance with safeguarding principles.

Just what I thought!!

She's the complete opposite of objective. I wouldn't trust her.

Yes, parents and teachers.

I was fortunate that I was able to open up a "backdoor" route with the school. Initially to just help my daughter to get safeguarding regarding gender identity in to her EHCP (Education and Health Care Plan) but then the discussions went wider and an internal review was quietly kicked off. If I hadn't been able to open effective conversations with the senior staff at the school, there would have been no other route for me.

A bit related to this topic, especially regarding the tension between schools and parents:

Tonight File on 4 (Radio 4) was about PSHE education in schools and the recent reports of how shocking and inappropriate it is.

Teaching gender ideology came up too including the Genderbread Man [monster]. There was no report about how harmful and misleading that model is.

When questioned about teaching trans gender identity, one expert teacher responded defensively using the conflation/teaming argument which relied on bringing up how lesbian and gay pupils would be harmed by not talking about LGBTQ+. No inkling from anyone speaking that transing could be seen as a blocking out of a possibly lesbian or gay orientation.

The overall tone was that this has been whipped up out of proportion to what happens in reality. And that children know more from the internet than parents realise they do and they need to know more sooner.

Poignantly one boy said we are like the guinea pigs who were the first to know too much from the internet, maybe we will be able to help the children of the future be more protected (my paraphrase from memory).

massive coverage of Beth's views was wrong when she seems to really be justifying why she transed her own child so young.

Projection. Massive projection. Jfc where do these teachers come from???

What the actual fuck? It beggars belief that both teachers and parents could be so neglectful of safeguarding principles that they would allow this. I'm absolutely gobsmacked.

I've seen teachers asking about this in Facebook groups with ana array of answers. Roughly 50/50 sane safeguarding advice (linking to sex matters etc) and absolutely bonkers views that everyone "just be kind" and what's the risk etc Ffs.

And that's primary

More worryingly, secretive "pm mes" which to me says they sanctioned it.

Poignantly one boy said we are like the guinea pigs who were the first to know too much from the internet, maybe we will be able to help the children of the future be more protected (my paraphrase from memory).

This makes my heart hurt. Poor kids, so let down.

Those facebook comments are such a worry WarriorN. Too few teachers are aware of Cass. They're naively uncritical of extremist groups like Mermaids & Stonewall with the unions - including shamefully the Heads unions - signed up to groups who repeatedly misrepresent the law & accuse colleagues of bigotry if they don't uncritically celebrate the transitioning of even young children.

Schools have been deskilled by these groups - not only into removing safeguarding from these children but also from employing the professional boundaries that they use in relation to every other mental health challenge involving children.

Look at any "training" offered to schools by trans pressure groups and they all employ the same emotive, manipulative techniques, weighing in on school policy and practice despite their ignorance of education, child development & psychology. Usually presented by a very self interested adult that adds to the reluctance of teachers to employ critical thinking.

It would be a fascinating study of institutional bullying if the casualties weren't so many vulnerable, often mentally unwell children.

Excellent post @MrsOvertonsWindow

I am a bit suspicious of "Beth". The action she says her schools takes, and her attitude to her students, seems a little too extreme.

It's also ominous that she admits a parent has accused the school of brain washing their child, and doesn't seem to recognise how dangerous that charge is over a matter like this.

These ideologues are going to completely destroy public support for the NHS and the state education system before they are done.

I was thinking about this recently though.

Child safeguarding training has always used case studies whereby we describe the harms that befall a child, usually at home though also at school.

The focus on "parents being the issue" is often for most lower level safeguarding concerns. Occasionally the more extreme and serious issues. (That's increased a lot since the pandemic.)

This therefore means that many teachers and schools can potentially have a culture of parental suspicion- in a way we are trained to be like this. On the lookout for tiny issues that could be important later on. The small things that stack up to illustrate a large issue.

But that means you've a culture of "I know better" within the teaching profession, which is the red flag.

Yes excellent post MrsO.

And within RSE there is a lot of the "we know better what's right for teens" from charities claiming to be experts.

It's a them and us situation and it really shouldn't be.

Obviously cse is most likely to be committed by family members. In the past we've seen sex Ed as part of being able to throw children life lines and open avenues of communication to disclose abuse.

It's an extraordinarily difficult area. And In wades a bunch of 20 somethings who are making a lot of money out of being "sex positive" without any critical analysis or peer reviewed evidence.

That's an interesting point. One of the things that dealing with safeguarding in schools taught me was to be a bit humble. Recognising the skills of other professionals, having to accept that my view of a family might be different to a social worker's or a GPs. And that working respectfully with parents, including the abusive ones, was critical and in the best interests of the child - especially if they were still living with parents who I thought were abusive.

That's what I mean about teachers being deskilled by trans activists. We've always trod that fine line of working positively with parents - even if we didn't like them. Yet suddenly trans lobby groups have weighed in and gaslit educators into believing that it's OK to alienate children from their parents. All the data we have - and there's lots of it - shows that children do terribly in terms of life chances when alienated from their families - academically, socially, more likely to end up in prison, on the streets, involved with drugs etc. We know this.
Yet trans groups with their profound ignorance about children & young people have been allowed to cynically tell schools to do the one thing that guarantees a child will have life long problems - alienate them from their parents & families.

I despair.