Heads should stop teachers allowing children to identify as cats, says No 10

[IwantToRetire]

The spokesman said that teachers should not teach “contested opinions as facts” and called for headteachers to intervene in extreme cases.

“It would not be right to comment on the actions of a specific individual or a specific school without knowing the full details, but we understand why these reports will be concerning for parents,” the spokesman said.

“In broad terms, teachers have a responsibility to encourage their students to engage respectfully with those they disagree with.

“They should also not be teaching contested opinions as fact, shutting down valid discussions and debates.

“It’s important parents and carers are reassured that children aren’t being influenced by personal views of those teaching them. Any example that strays from this would be wrong and we would expect headteachers to act.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/20/rye-college-children-neo-pronouns-cats-moons-rishi-sunak/

Unlike the headline the article makes it clear that a "spokesman" (how old fashioned and sexist shouldn't that be spokesperson?!) has said this so Sunak may or may not have a public opinion about this ...

But the Telegraph seems to be keen to keep the issue of self identifying on their front pages.

When I first heard about children doing this I thought (hoped) that it was younger children making fun of the trans generation, but seems not.

NB article is behind a paywall but can be read at https://archive.ph by entering the Telegraph URL above into the box.

(The cat in picture below looks very cross. Probably feels the same way GC women feel - outraged at the notion that some young human could in any way know or speak with experience based knowledge about being a cat!)

I pointed out that the statutory document says that schools must teach gender identity to children.

It says we must teach "facts and the law" about gender identity. What do you consider the facts to be?

At what point is safeguarding more important than just following orders and keeping your job?

There has to be a point. How far are you prepared to overlook harms, whilst denying you have safeguarding responsibility because you are just following orders?

Genuinely, where is your line in the sand? What would trigger a response where you felt you could no longer just do what you were told as if it's not your responsibility?

even the new guidance appears to say that kids transitioning in schools is ok with parental approval.

If "new" = 2021 RSE, then where does it say that? Not sure it even says "gender identity" but could have missed it

I think by 'new' the pp means the upcoming guidance which has been leaked/trailed in recent days.

"The Prime Minister says you have to stop lying to us, Miss."

That has to go down as the most laughable statement in history - from a government of Prime Ministers who ahve never stopped lying to anyone.

I wonder what Russel T Davies makes of all this. He predicted it ages ago in Years and Years.

It's an interesting question. My partner hasn't raised her head above the parapet but then again she teaches young ones so it hasn't come up.
But her SLT go on about trans rights and she has to bite her tongue as financially we'd be screwed if she lost her job.
Also kind of figure a quiet person with understanding of safeguarding is better placed than getting sacked and the new rainbow wielder coming in.
But yeah, we do argue about it because I feel she neglects her safeguarding role.

I know there's lots of people who have quit political parties or brownies over the same question.

There does reach a point where you have to ask the question of those in employment too. How far will they tolerate before they leave the profession or make a stand?

We are starting to see girls and women refusing to compete against males in female sport - to their own detriment - because they know they no longer have anything to lose. Those titles, sponsorships, prize money and scholarships gone out of their reach. They can only play for their own love of sport so dignity becomes everything.

The more boycotts we see like that, I do wonder where it goes.

There were protests over gender neutral toilets that have been student initiated in recent months in the UK. Schools have tried to crush them and they've been framed to a certain degree as growing disrespect for teachers and poor behaviour.

But framed against MLK point about injustice (see above) maybe there's a point here.

This has kicked off because of the actions of two thirteen year old girls objecting. Not because adults have stood up for kids. Nope they are more concerned about doing what they are told rather than having a moral obligation.

We assumed kick back would come from adults and politicians. It looks more likely to come from within from detransitioners and kids fed up of authority imposing this nonsense on them. From unnatural allies to feminists. But not from the establishment or from people who hold status. If nothing else it really really shows the top down power of transgenderism...

But not from the establishment or from people who hold status

I suppose my view there would be that whilst teachers hold status over pupils, SLT hold much more power over them and that's mostly where this comes from

It's also not a legitimate defence in a court if safeguarding has been compromised.

This has kicked off because of the actions of two thirteen year old girls objecting.

This particular story has kicked off because the right wing press and commentators were fucking desperate for a kid identifying as a cat story, the cat thing has been building for a while. Katharine Birbalsingh was trying for it a few weeks ago.

The vast majority of commentary is about cats.

No, but again if all the sane people had stood up and lost their jobs they'd be noone there to stop the tide.
Like I say, it's only theory and eye rolling luckily for the age group, but I sympathize with teachers, particularly expensive older ones in other age groups at the front lines.
Morals are all very well when you have nothing to lose but when you can lose everything for no gain at all it gets more difficult.
It's why people like jkr are so important, because she can't be touched. People like Rachel Rooney and Rosie Duffield sadly illustrate the point that financial armour is needed to take on powerful foes.

I don't know thats true about stopping the tide given the rising of civil disobedience.

Laws still need public consent and there's signs thats falling apart.

Where legal challenges are being taken to court things are falling apart because of the lack of legal definitions and strength.

Really? You are going to go with the right wing press line? Careful now. You are one step from calling us bigots and facists.

Having seen pride footage of oddly dressed folk holding a lead with a cat/dog-like human being dragged along I'd say that it's concerning

Eh?

Have you not seen who has leapt on this? Turning Point UK? Laurence Fox? Piers Morgan? Andrew Tate's brother?

The school is being absolutely deluged with the most vile abuse, are you suggesting that that's coming from feminists?

Currently happening at my local senior school. It's causing quite the uproar, the local Facebook pages are going ballistic
Kids sitting on their desks meowing and crawling about.

You might be seeing a collapse in parental trust for schools, teachers and the heads.

The amount of time and the level of noise it’s taken to get this behaviour by a minority of out of control activist teaching staff into the sunlight, is the story.

If head teachers had the power to stop these activist teaching staff I personally believe we’d see that. The fact this is not happening, is the story.

The fact this is occurring despite specific government guidance not to do this, clinical professionals saying not to do this, safeguarding and professional teaching standards saying not to do this and parents saying not to do this, is the story.

Please see who’s left, who’s supporting the story. See if you can see who has the power in schools to keep this going.

The fact this is occurring despite specific government guidance not to do this, clinical professionals saying not to do this, safeguarding and professional teaching standards saying not to do this and parents saying not to do this, is the story.

Not to do what? And if you could point to the specific government guidance, that would be really useful.

Nope, do your own research.

Into what? You haven't specified.

This was posted about on here before the media picked it up anyway. The tik tok alone got attention.

It didn’t need to be pushed by anyone for it to get interest

Here you go then

https://www.wikihow.life/Tidy-a-Messy-Bedroom

This.

Teachers failure on this is part of the dynamic. People no longer are trusting the schools to protect kids from this nonsense.

If the best teachers have to throw back is 'its the right wing press shitstirring' when what they are hearing DIRECTLY from their own kids is concerning then that's the failure of the left wing to do shit about it when they should.

I'm sorry but the trope of 'its the right wing press' is just a reminder of the failure of the left to act in areas they should. Namely in safeguarding which traditionally is a 'left wing area'.

Everything about this story is about a loss of trust and despair about how far the lunacy has been allowed to run rampant and unchecked.

It's firmly undermined faith in standards.

If the best teachers have to throw back is 'its the right wing press shitstirring'

"throw back"? Are you saying that the right wing aren't all over this? That the main headline hasn't been about cats? A GBNews presenter went on TV dressed as a cat.

I'm saying the reason that this has gone so massively viral is the cat angle.