Telegraph: Teaching union opposes schools having to tell parents if child changes gender

[ResisterRex]

Read it and weep:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/05/union-against-schools-telling-parents-child-changes-gender/

"A teaching union will campaign against government plans to force schools to tell parents if their child changes gender.
Members of the National Education Unionn_ (NEU) agreed on Friday to oppose what teachers described as the “compulsory ‘outing’” of pupils to parents.
Teachers at the union’s annual conference in Bournemouthh also said they would campaign against a ban on any aspect of “social transitioningg” in schools, which could include allowing children to change their pronounss_ or use lavatories or changing facilities of the opposite sex.
The motion, approved by the majority of delegates at the conference, was drawn up in response to draft government guidancee_ on gender-questioning children.
The long-awaited advice states that schoolss_ in England should not accept all requests for social transitioning and should involve parents in any decision that is made.
Speaking in favour of the campaign against the guidance, Kathryn Barton, an NEU member, said she knew of a seven-year-old who had transitioned during the summer holiday and said that “not a single pupil” had a problem with it.

...

Midge Lowe, a teacher from Doncaster, said the Government’s draft guidance was “regressive trash” and said teachers must campaign for it to be withdrawn.
...

No delegates at the conference spoke against the motion, which also stated that “schools, colleges and external providers should not change or remove LGBT++_ inclusive policies or curriculum content as ‘knee-jerk’ response to political rhetoric”."

The same union voted to affiliate with Just Like Us

https://x.com/safeschoolsuk/status/1776511307564335381?s=46&t=WHoOZZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

Me too. Are the NASUWT any better on this issue?

Edapt is a sort of “non-union” union.

A family member, considering training to be a teacher and working as a cover supervisor for experience, got very good support and help when the school treated her badly. She’s staying with Edapt into her training and beyond. It doesn’t get involved in politics.

https://www.edapt.org.uk/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrMyXuaythQMVkJpQBh1L6AD3EAAYASAAEgLZTfD_BwE

I agree. I only changed last year to be able to strike :-(

I don't know. But I'm going to investigate. It's a shame that the actions of the NEU make people outside of the profession think that we are all behind this type of thing. No one I know in teaching believes in all this rubbish that the union is spouting. I think most teachers join a union for protection against malicious complaints and allegations, not for political reasons. I bet most of them don't even pay any attention to all of and are unaware of the union's total capture by TRAs.

It’s so stupid, schools can’t actually keep the secret transing of kids quiet, they are constantly ‘outing’ them due to names on dinner money accounts or using the gendery-pronoun on parents evening.

Plus good luck keeping 1500 kids and their parents sworn to secrecy in the era of WhatsApp groups.

@Caaarrrl

Completely agree with you. They don't speak for me.

I think most teachers join a union for protection against malicious complaints and allegations, not for political reasons.

That’s why Edapt works so well, most of the time. I joined myself when I did a bit of supply after I retired.

Think I will go and research edept. I don't agree with Unions getting involved in issues beyond teaching and have been shocked at some of the issues that the Neu have said about Gaza as well as the issues posted above. Regardless of my personal opinions on what is happening in the middle east, I don't feel my Union should be making comments on them. They need to stick to the issues specifically related to those working in Education. I do think teachers should be (as best aa they can) politically neutral.

Remember this is just delegates at a conference. It doesn't necessarily represent what the members generally think. That said, teachers are often very captured on this issue and will have been coached in their views by the like of SWall

Given the lack of tracking on these kids over the last few years I'd be interested to see exactly where that of nugget of information came from that she's stating!

@Caaarrrl 'I'm seriously considering changing unions at this point. The NEU has the highest membership among teachers, but absolutely does not represent the views of any teachers that I know.'

Leaving and taking as many colleagues with you as you can sounds like a great idea. There was no dissenting voice at this conference by sound of it, so NEU reps are all in on this, or scared to dissent.

Was this is the union that refused to support Kevin Lister in his tribunal case? I realise his case had deficiencies other than his GC views, but no NEU member who has GC views can expect this union to stand for them if they end up in a similar situation. Leaving sounds like a good idea, especially as they plan to spend union dues campaigning against guidelines that GC teachers will have wanted to support (IANAT but this is how I understand it).

If we expect parents who have transed their children to be the most vigorous opponents of what they perceive as anti-trans changes in emphasis in schools and elsewhere, then teachers and teaching-leaders who have pushed for transing against parental wishes/without parental knowledge and without regard to safeguarding will want to double down in the same way. This is what we are perhaps seeing here?

I wonder whether this union has taken any legal advice?
Can a parents group take a union to court.

@Gettingmadderallthetime

I believe that parents have found it impossible to challenge schools through the courts on all this as their child, with all their vulnerabilities, would be at the centre of any challenge. Parents understandably won't expose their child to the stress of a court case. Thus schools carry on oblivious to the illegality of what they're doing, listening to fake Stonewall law with most of the other agencies still in thrall to transactivism.

As the EHRC have exposed, so much of the "legality" of applying gender reassignment to to children is as a result of the failure of the original law makers to apply safeguarding and children's rights to what was and is an adult ideology. They probably never anticipated that the random assortment of activists, paedophile adjacent groups (the Eunuch group in WPATH, the Mermaids scandal etc) would ever be able to focus this issue on children below the age of consent.

This is a good demonstration of how important it is to GI activists to ensure this ideology is thoroughly taught in schools. They will fight very hard for this. Anyone know anything about NEU’s funding?

I wonder if this is something the Safe Schools Alliance would get involved with?

How do the policy people in the NEU cope with the cognitive dissonance?

“^Schools and colleges are in a unique position to be able to have influential conversations about topics around sexism and gender stereotypes, from a young age. Education can challenge these stereotypes and behaviours before ideas and incidents escalate.

“By trying to tackle sexism across the life of a school or college, both students and staff can be safer, and empowered to support each other.

“It is positive that teachers have been using and see value in the NEU ‘It’s Not OK’ toolkit for preventing sexism and sexual harassment.

“The rise of sexist and violent ideas online is problematic and young people are very influenced by their peers and the content driven by algorithms. Greater regulation of tech companies and quicker action on removing harmful content is needed.

“Helping young people interrogate the motivation and appeal of online figures can help students to think critically about what they see and increase confidence in reporting harassment.

“The NEU wants to see a curriculum for the modern age with a greater focus on social learning and active citizenship.

“The NEU is also working alongside other unions and the TUC on their programme on ‘Tackling sexual harassment – Building preventative cultures within the trade union movement’.”^

From another thread in FWR - Telegraph: Teaching union opposes schools having to tell parents if child changes gender

What a load of word salad that article is 😫

No one is 'preventing young transgender people from participating', but they're expected to participate in PE with the appropriate sex.

Also 'their true gender' - which is what? Their preferred gender? It's hopelessly unclear. And perhaps they could share their definition of 'gender' with the rest of us to make it clear what they are going on about.

Disappointing to hear and also would consider changing unions .. keep us posted!

So glad I ditched the NEU last year. I felt like they were heading in this kind of direction. Ignorant, virtue-signalling bunch of idiots.

Surely there must be some sort of legal remedy - outside of individual parents having to put their children through a trial - if a teaching union is acting against statutory safeguarding guidance and law, which they are?

I'd crowdfund for that.

Fuck them. Child protection protocol is to never give a child the impression you are 'keeping a secret'. There could be homophobic parents encouraging transing or children could just be experimenting with the latest social contagion. Nowhere in the story would adults be permitted to advise on surgery, medication etc!!! Unless they were in the NHS and working with the consent of the family. Virtue signalling Pish.

What the actual heck.

How are schools going to perform a "quick sex change" to "make their bodies right"? and if they do "perform a quick sex change" how are they planning to keep that a secret?

What an odd take on it

https://www.nasuwt.org.uk/advice/equalities/under-represented-groups/lgbti-teachers/trans-rights-position-statement.html

'We are committed to campaign for a simplified, free, statutory gender-recognition process based on self-declaration and to support rights for gender non-binary people at work and in wider society.

The Union supports the right of all women (including trans women) to safe spaces and the continuation of monitoring that can help identify discrimination and harassment against women and men.

The NASUWT’s view is that individuals have the right to self-identification and self-determination and the right to assert their gender identity free from fear, intimidation or penalty. The NASUWT has endorsed the position of the TUC on these matters.'

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3938537-NASUWT-Trans-Equality-in-Schools

How are schools going to perform a "quick sex change" to "make their bodies right"? and if they do "perform a quick sex change" how are they planning to keep that a secret?

Of course it’s ridiculous - if you’re not aged 5 or happen to believe in gender nonsense. Unfortunately the children - and in some case their parents - believe it. As we know very well.

Oh and apparently the BBC, NHS and innumerable public and private bodies also believe that people, including children, can literally change sex. We know this because they tell us, endlessly.