Hi I'm a regular but have name changed.
I know my LA (Birmingham) submitted a response to the government consultation on the schools guidance for gender confused children.
I have asked for a copy of their response.
They have refused to give it to me saying the DfE requested the responses should be kept confidential
I know other organisations have published their responses so this doesn't seem correct?
I wonder if I can challenge this?
Should I do a FOI request?
It doesn't seem right that parents don't know what position a LA is taking?
I also wonder if there are any other parents in Birmingham who would be concerned about this and who would be interested in joining up to put some pressure on the LA?
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions
LA response to the Government Guidance for Schools
MsPuppup · 14/04/2024 10:34
OldCrone · 14/04/2024 12:09
Is it this consultation?
https://consult.education.gov.uk/equalities-political-impartiality-anti-bullying-team/gender-questioning-children-proposed-guidance/supporting_documents/Guidance_for_schools_and_colleges_gender_questioning_children_consultation_document%20.pdf
This is what they say about confidentiality.
Information provided in response to consultations, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 2018 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. If you want all, or any part, of a response to be treated as confidential, please explain why you consider it to be confidential. If a request for disclosure of the information you have provided is received, your explanation about why you consider it confidential will be taken into account, but no assurance can be given that confidentiality can be maintained. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.
So you should be able to FOI either your LA or the DfE to get the information.
SchoolGuidanceQ · 14/04/2024 12:04
Following. How do you know your LA submitted a response? Can I find out if my LA did? I’m in a London borough and a co-opted school governor and I hadn’t actually thought about LAs responding…
KellieJaysLapdog · 14/04/2024 12:42
Could we FOI all the LAs, the way we FOI’d all those Stonewall Equality Index participants?
How many LAs are there?
MsPuppup · 14/04/2024 14:24
I've just done mine. To Birmingham.
I'm happy to be involved and promote it on here and SM.
But I'm no good with a spreadsheet.
@KellieJaysLapdog do you have contacts with SexMatters or LF?
If not I'm happy to email them and ask if they would coordinate/ promote?
I was wondering about Safe Schools? As they are really pushing for the pubic enquiry?
Or there is a new org (I think) Parents for Education who have done some great work exposing school policy. They might be interested?
This information would really expose the need for a public enquiry.
RedToothBrush · 14/04/2024 14:25
Just a point about FOIs. They can be refused on the grounds of commercial interest. There's been a whole load of this due to outsourcing of local authority management in the past. It's possible they could hide behind this. If they do, then Streisanding the fuck out of it and involving relevant media would be the appropriate way to go. It's repressible that the use of public money can be unaccountable due to this loophole. No money should be hidden from scrutiny.
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