100 organisations ask Labour to abandon Tory revised guidelines on RSHE

[IwantToRetire]

The Conservative government launched a consultation in May on planned updates to guidance first issued in 2019, following a review of the reforms.

It proposed age limits on “sensitive” topics, ordered schools not to teach about “gender identity” and to share materials with parents.

Ministers were accused at the time of stirring up “culture war” issues in the run-up to the election.

The consultation closes today.

To coincide with its closure, more than 100 organisations including the ASCL and NAHT leaders’ unions, the PSHE Association, Sex Education Forum, Barnardo’s, Refuge and Everyone’s Invited have issued a joint statement calling for a “fresh start” to the review.

“We are calling on the next government to discard the draft guidance and begin this process in due course, focusing on the needs of children and young people and supporting teachers to deliver a high-quality, inclusive curriculum.”

Lucy Emmerson, CEO of the Sex Education Forum, said age restrictions would be a “backward step making children more vulnerable to abuse and harm”.

PSHE association chief executive Jonathan Baggaley, warned he had “deep concerns about the development process and shortcomings of the draft guidance, particularly on critical aspects of children’s safeguarding, wellbeing and inclusion”.

And Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo’s, said introducing age limits to RSHE topics “risks children missing out on crucial teaching about abuse and exploitation”.

Continues at https://schoolsweek.co.uk/labour-faces-pressure-to-ditch-tory-rshe-reforms/

@CassieMaddox I notice you responded to everyone else’s comments/ questions but not mine. Why would we not focus on preventing primary school children being exposed to porn, rather than giving all children information about it at an inappropriate age because some children are exposed to it?

What an odd take on such a clear responsible post from a parent.
Do you see unwanted dick pics sent to women as "photos of the reproductive system" as well? 🙄

some huge number of children have seen porn by year 6

Where did you get this from?

Is there anything parents can do to put counter pressure in?

"This place is mad"

And yet here you are yet again, complaining about how awful it is....

Did I say awful? 😂

Sometimes I'm just surprised how tunnel vision posters are, e.g. complaining about VAWG orgs having an opinion on sex and relationships teaching in school as they aren't experts in gender ideology

Put a link upthread

No. But no teachers are asking children to draw "dicks" at school.
They might be asking them to draw anatomical diagrams.

It's just biology

This wasn't teachers in a school dealing with anatomically correct diagrams. As the poster stated, this was an "exercise" from the "school of sexuality education" who self identify as SRE experts. They're the ones who planned an event for primary and secondary children with their parents /carers where they planned to strip naked in front of young children.

As you stated earlier - if charities and organisations like this weren't allowed to be involved in SRE for schools and the government had got its act together (as these guidelines finally attempt to do), then it's likely that we'd have child centred, age appropriate SRE that parents could have confidence in
.
Instead, the untamed influence of queer theorists, sex positivity and yay for porn groups have resulted in some appalling examples (eg Warwickshire's contribution) mentioned above.

They're the ones who planned an event for primary and secondary children with their parents /carers where they planned to strip naked in front of young children.

Wtf is wrong with these people 😒

This idea that my child has to learn about porn at age 8 because other children have suffered child abuse (because that's what it is) boils my piss, quite frankly.

Whatttt! They are teaching 8 year olds about porn!!! My god. Primary year 3-4!!! That’s absolutely mental!

And I’m only early 30s. What has happened in the last decade and a half.

Here's what Safe Schools alliance have to say about the School of Sexuality Education

https://safeschoolsallianceuk.net/2023/02/05/the-school-of-sexuality-education/

It's abhorrent.

So no, Cassie, I'm not talking about biology lessons. I'm talking about a group that claim to be RSE experts going into schools and forcing children to draw dick pics, which are a form of sexual harassment and abuse, sent to them with the explicit intent to abuse and harass.

If it didn't involve eroding children's boundaries it would be slightly hilarious, given they think they're experts on 'consent', that they don't consider that it's hard for children to leave a lesson when the adults in charge are telling them it's part of core curriculum. WTF the teachers involved were thinking I don't know. Everything this group does appears to be a shameful safeguarding failure.

There is no way on earth a child who was subject to abuse (from peers or adults) could speak up in that context. There will have been children in that class who'd never seen dick pics - now exposed to recreations of them. There will have been children in that class who desperately wanted to escape because their spidey senses were screaming NO (do they not even have a clue how easily teenagers are embarrassed?) but the adults were telling them it was ok so they felt they couldn't speak up.

I actually have an issue with strangers going into schools and delivering RSE in any context. It's not always an easy topic for children and it needs to be a teacher or TA who already has a relationship of trust with those children. I've been fortunate this has been the case for my children so far.

I don't think normalising the idea that it's fine for a complete stranger they've never met to just start talking to them about incredibly personal issues is that great an idea.

This is all entirely reasonable common sense.

And frankly maybe the REASON why 10% of year 6 students have been exposed to porn (assuming this stat isn't just made up) is because of groups like School of Sexuality Education going into schools and schools have been outsourcing RSE to totally inappropriate outside groups?

I feel disgusted after reading that link. How can girls be subjected to this, in a school environment of all places?!

Yeah I’m just reading about the SOSE group

Honestly this is sick. They are actually trolling. Completely openly. I have no idea how adults couldn’t see this. They are literally putting a dog emoji front and centre (meme furry symbol). The only normal human like emoji in this is a distressed face one. Honestly this is so fucked up. What’s the one on the left? It’s either a baby or giving balding pedo vibes.

All I will say about all this is millennials will shortly be becoming the dominant parent cohort. There’s absolutely no way these creeps will be able to continue getting away with this. Our generation are going to be quick to say you can fuck right off with that! So they better start scurrying back to where they came from

This is all entirely reasonable common sense.

Maybe this is why they have flown this false flag.

Wittering on about badly the consultation was done, blah, blah, it all the negatves.

They probably realised that ordinary parents which thinks what is wrong with what has been suggested.

Although the biggest issue seems to be about schools clearly letting parents know what they are teaching.

Surely there is some method of letting parents know in advance of a child attending one of these lessons what will be covered.

Apart from anything, it will help the parent to be aware of what was discussed in case their child then asks them something at home.

Why would it be thought that schools should appropriate this area of life as their domain.

"Why would it be thought that schools should appropriate this area of life as their domain?"

It's an extension of the mantra that all parents are bigoted right wing homophobes and the wise knowledgeable professionals can steer children in the right direction.

In fact all available evidence is that children do terribly when alienated from their families and in the care of the state - academically, socially and with their future life chances. Supporting children to remain with their families is baked into our practice and legislation.

Yet these supposed "experts" reframe parents as out of touch and ignorant. They've appropriated sex / relationships education as something that must be "taught" without ever questioning what the boundaries are in terms of age and "levels of intimacy'. Just look at Peter Tatchell's demands that teenagers should be forced into compulsory mixed sex lessons about sexual pleasure. Zero insight into peer dynamics, bullying, coercive behaviour, sexual harassment - just a desire to talk to young people about sexual practices despite their lack of consent.

SRE needs to be taught in schools in full partnership with parents. The age boundaries are an excellent start - of course they should be discussed but it's depressing to see once respected organisations focusing on children and VAWG signing up alongside dubious lobby groups dedicated to removing safeguarding for children and the rights of girls and women to single sex spaces.

I’m just reading the link from Safe Schools Alliance about SOSE and I am absolutely horrified.

This part of it is exactly right:

‘Implicit to this argument is the ‘stage not age’ position that states that since some children are aware of inappropriate content, it is therefore acceptable to expose them to further inappropriate content, on ‘educational’ grounds. However, it is never acceptable to make children pay for the safeguarding failures of adults and then accuse those wishing to protect children as suffering from moral failings.’

It’s absolutely dreadful that children are being put through this. And to think @CassieMaddox also thinks RSHE should be mandatory and that parents shouldn’t be able to opt their children out!

I feel so sad for all the children who have been exposed to these classes and essentially abused in their own schools. How any adult thought this was okay, I don’t know.

Of course you do actually know what type of adults want this for children. Everyone knows what type of adults want to expose children to this.

Everyone knows what type of adults want to expose children to this.

They do. Which really does beg the question - why are VAWG groups, teachers' unions, organisations charged with protecting children online, buddying up with such groups?

They are - should be - diametrically opposed. One set (supposedly) protects children, the other set targets them for harm.

What the hell is going on with this letter?

since some children are aware of inappropriate content, it is therefore acceptable to expose them to further inappropriate content, on ‘educational’ grounds.

Why do some adults push for this?

I get @frenchnoodle’s point but still

Not that much. Also it will have a huge variation between schools. Therefore schools should have the flexibility to choose to how to deal with these situations with its parents communities, rather than being forced upon everyone.

I have teenage boys. They think drawing "dick pics" as you call it, is hilarious.
Have you not seen the back of dirty white vans?
I also think getting teenage (I.e. year 10 ish) boys to model vulvas out of playdoh and understand what a clitoris is, is a good thing. They are legally old enough to have sex, might as well have at least some clue that women have clitorises and porn style banging isn't going to be that fun for their girlfriends.
Massive amount of pearl clutching going on, under the pretext of "the children". When really we are talking about young adults.

The Conservative consultation proposed taking that flexibility away by banning it being covered before year 7.