School Stress

[ArenaDavina]

I'm not very well versed in all this, <waves hands> not v brave and work in a large public sector employment context so generally keep my head down but did start reading here when the prison stuff became news.

DC came home from school and was talking with friends about a pshe lesson they'd had in which they'd had to learn about the "gender unicorn" and how it was all really contradictory and also based on stereotypes. I googled it and found a page run by TSER that had things on it like, "it's important we don't use the term sex because of the vagueness of the definition of sex and it's place in transphobia." Wtf?

The gender unicorn diagram is problematic in so many ways and seems completely bamboozling for kids.

I emailed school and asked to see the lesson plans and copy of what DC were shown and asked to do.

It's all been sent to me along with a message to say it's endorsed by Metro and PSHE Association and is compliant with Dept for Education guidance. Also included was a lesson plan about the Stonewall riots and his they were led by TW (I thought that was contested?) and a glossary that is all based on adherence to belief in gender and erases same sex attraction entirely.

The TSER page is full of campaign materials on how to fight single sex colleges in the US (it is mind blowing, truly).

I don't really know what to do now. School clearly feel this is entirely above board and presumably would defend against any complaints. It all makes me so uncomfortable.

DC is fine. Thinks it's all bonkers and has moved on quickly. I've fallen down a rabbit hole ..

I'd suggest you contact Sex Matters.

And the idea that a tranwoman led the Stonewall riots isn't contested, it's just completely incorrect. Fred Sergeant (who was actually there and was one of the group who established Pride) has said many, many times that Storme De Laverie (a lesbian) was person who sparked protests by shouting 'why don't you guys do something?' to the crowd. Marsha P. Johnson (a gay man who was also a drag artist), who is the person who TRA's are referring to, wasn't trans (by his own admission) and wasn't even present at the Stonewall Inn until several hours later.

https://www.conservativesforwomen.org/a-new-round-of-funding-for-diversity-role-models

This is quite a good explanation of the issues raised by the unicorn. The RSE guidelines state that RSE should not promote stereotypes and this does. It also suggests ‘intersex’ people don’t have a sex or are other. Imagine now you have a child in that class, possible a young girl with a DSD. An unknown adult comes into your class and starts telling everyone that people like your daughter aren’t really female. They are some sort of inbetweener - some sort of freak of nature. Personally I would be absolutely furious. So yes the gender unicorn can go in the bin where it belongs.

Ah interesting, thank you! I wonder why Metro's lesson plans are so clear in the wrong direction?

I've emailed back using SSA bits but feel I'm in a bit deep for my level of understanding.

I'll check out Sex Matters.

Good advice here. School should absolutely not be using this resource and you need to ask them to stop.

Justme56 is correct about RSE guidelines, the info is under 'Ensuring content is appropriate' here : Plan your relationships, sex and health curriculum - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk))

Who are Metro?

I'd like to see the endorsement from PSHE Association too.

Please, if you can, fight this, we will support you.

I'm in a bit deep for my level of understanding.

If my experience is typical, your understanding is already better than the idiots peddling this stuff to the children. Best of luck

Thank you - that section is really helpful, and definitely rules out these resources!

Metro seem to be a charity who campaign for gender neutral bathrooms in schools etc. I can't see their teaching materials on their website though so not sure how they're accessed or approved by the PSHE Assocation.

https://metrocharity.org.uk/news/2023/aug/01/response-to-the-department-for-education-schools-guidance-for-trans-and-non-binary

This is so terrifying. Literally nothing I've read makes sense.

The DfE guidance says everything must be evidence based and factual. But what are the facts and evidence around someone's own sense of gender (which I and many I know have never experienced). So schools have to teach about Gender Identity, but in a factual way. Hiding to nothing as far as I can see?

That's an interesting stat that 75% of secondary school teachers have taught trans and nonbinary pupils. One for 'tiny minority, doesn't affect anyone else' pile.

What do you mean by that @PermanentTemporary?

The problem is unless the school has a dedicated pshe coordinator without other roles like dsl or slt the schools just buy in 'approved' resources and often it is taught either by all teachers in form time or by any teacher who is under allocated, these teachers may or may not have any pshe training or understanding of how delivery should be different to other lessons. Even the teachers might not really look in advance, just load the slides and go.
Even in my school I'm hearing pushback from parents and slt about ever saying truth or mentioning detransition as lgbtq+ advocates immediately complain, eg if a teacher says bisexual they are in to slt saying it should be pansexual.

I mean I think it's a high proportion.

I hope the school is responsive. The materials sound really poor.

Basically we desperately need both the school guidance following cass, clarification of the echr meaning for children and also updated pshe guidance that spells out that when they say facts they mean biology not stonewall facts.

Ensure everyone know what material they are using. Someone will make the school sit up and think.

Have a laugh with DC about how bonkers it is. When the kids all joke about it because it is so transparently ridiculous the school will realise it makes them look ridiculous as well as highly questionable.

I'd think 100% of teachers teach a trans pupil, if not more. In the last 10 years I've taught at least 2 a year. Sometimes many more than that.

The gender unicorn is barking. (Do unicorns bark? I suppose if they are imaginary, they could do.)

Safe Schools Alliance has quite a good guide to all the gender-woo resources:

https://safeschoolsallianceuk.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Parents-Guide-to-external-PSHE-RSE-providers.pdf

Turn to page 13 for what it says about the gender unicorn:

Training includes the Gender Unicorn. The unicorn resource is at odds with biological reality, asserting that intersex people are neither male nor female, and that there is an additional biological sex category called ‘other’. The term ‘sex assigned at birth’ is incorrect; sex is determined at fertilisation, can be seen in pre-natal scans, and is observed at birth.

❌ This resource does not meet the DfE’s criteria for evidenced-based resources that contain robust facts and are from credible resources. It breaches the guidance by suggesting that children might be a different gender based on their personality and interests or the clothes they prefer to wear

They mostly won't laugh about it though as 1-7 kids in every year group will be trans, they would get detentions for bullying if they started that. And it's not right either. We need to stop the stereotypes.
Personally my message is clear, you don't know how other people feel because you are not them. Sex is real but essentialism is nonsense, boys and girls can do anything, think anything, dress however. Keep your opinions to yourself unless necessary. Be nice!

It is a high proportion of teachers but may not reflect large numbers of students necessarily (they could all teach the same on ein a year group for different subjects) or the definition could be very wide. My DC have many many students in their years who attend LGBTQ+ lunch club and wear cats ears etc but who knows what that means for their identity and sexuality now or in the future. One of dh's colleague's v young teen has been L/B/T and now NB all before age of 14.

All the more reason that teachers understand the messages they're sending out. I can't help but think that not discussing the ramifications of all this is most unfair to those exact teens. Pictures like the gender unicorn are v flippant and make everything optional when in the real world, most people will much more black and white. Setting up young people to think everything is in their gift/at their command is unfair.

The resource def does not meet dfe guidelines so refute that point by point and the school will prob remove it tbh. Parents are the best weapon we have, slt always listen to them, especially those with legal connections and deep pockets.
That would be the best way to change things in schools, if more parents came forward asking this would change super fast. 10% would more than do it.

This was one of the directed activities in the class.

I feel quite weary already though! I like my DC school, appreciate how hard the teachers work and do not relish conflict. I wish I didn't have to have this argument, but I will because I do feel let down at them teaching such anti fact nonsense as if it were reliable and credible.

This is an excellent analysis on how schools that teach gender ideology are undermining statutory safeguarding for children. It's worth sending to every tone deaf teacher who is failing to engage their critical thinking about this issue:

https://thecritic.co.uk/the-government-needs-to-put-safeguarding-first/

It's so disappointing to see professionals who should be centring children being caught up in this ideology and breaching their statutory responsibilities to keep children safe from damaging influences. They also fail to be politically impartial by cosying up to organisations working to remove sex based rights & child safeguarding in society.

Parents are so important in all this.

That is a really interesting article @MrsOvertonsWindow thanks for sharing

"I'd think 100% of teachers teach a trans pupil, if not more. In the last 10 years I've taught at least 2 a year. Sometimes many more than that."

I think the proportion might be lower in all boys schools, for example and maybe some small rural schools.

ArenaDavina sorry you’re having to deal with this, but a huge thankyou for having the commitment to take it on. Parental input is the best way to tackle schools. If you know any of the other parents who would feel the same way, then try to bring a group together, so you have some support.
I’ve followed several threads where mothers have challenged the schools, and all have had a really positive outcome. Mostly the schools seem to be floundering on this issue, with a tiny number of very vocal activists driving the agenda. The saner members of staff (which will be most of them!) are often delighted when parents push back
Good luck