Labour has voted down the Tories' amendment to allow parents to see sex ed resources in schools.

[2fallsfromSSA]

Schools minister Catherine McKinnell claims there's no evidence of a widespread problem.

This is utterly disgraceful, we know there are many issues with school RSE resources and there is no reason at all to stop parents knowing what their children are being taught in schools.

Not only are many materials politically motivated and biologically inaccurate, we been told by many distressed parents over the years - themselves the victims of CSA - that some school materials use the same language that their abusers did

Schools need to work in partnership with parents, not against them.

Catherine McKinnell responded to our thread by unfollowing us.

https://x.com/safeschoolsuk/status/1890126088166339041?s=46&t=wKQqSS_HYEY78hJQTlX9tJw

We gave evidence 2 years ago at the WESC, we have documented the issues, we have met with the Department for Education numerous times to share the concerns of parents and teachers.

safeschoolsallianceuk.net/2023/05/21/women-equalities-committee/

@LyndaLaHughes if you read the thread I linked to you will see that this is not happening in many schools.

Schools have to post details of the curriculum on their website- not just for RSE but for all curriculum areas- again statutory. They would certainly have to provide materials to parents who asked if they hadn't already signposted them to it.As part of the Ofsted inspection process- you have to evidence these things. I had to prove we'd consulted with parents and I also had to prove they'd had access to the materials. Schools not doing so would be in breach of requirements and this would be pulled by Ofsted.

So your statement is local
Is this what you use in the classroom?
Books, handouts, other teaching materials?

And the motion should have passed as it only would be confirming existing laws.
But it was rejected

There may be isolated incidents of bad practice- absolutely- but this should be picked up on by Ofsted. This suggests that a) there is no statutory requirement currently which there absolutely is or b) parents are being refused to see the materials and schools could get away with this- they can't. C) it is common- it isn't- it just couldn't happen as schools are under so much scrutiny it's ridiculous and one of the reasons there is a recruitment and retention crisis.
I could send out a million different items of correspondance around this and there would still be parents who claim never to have seen it. It happens with all school correspondance. We have strict requirements about training etc around RSE. The idea that currently schools don't have to consult with parents or share materials is just not true- that's my issue.

Cornish schools use Jigsaw. It used to be difficult to access their whole provision, and there have been previous threads on MN about it's dubious contents.

The guidance is from the Department of Education. So all of England.

Yes - any materials are available to parents. Curriculum overviews should be on all school websites and anyone who wants more information can ask for it if needed but many schools now use online resources which have online portals for parents to access for this very reason. Parents can access every single lesson for the resource we use. This is very common now.

It's fully complaint with DFE guidance. Perhaps there are historical issues- I can't comment on that as I haven't used it. But providers have had to rigorously check their materials and local authorities have made it clear if certain resources should not be used.

I know, it’s frightening that it’s got to this point. I remember when schools were good and worked alongside parents not against them. It’s strange how easily schools have become Big Brother with zero pushback

This is why it's important that the state doesn't have a monopoly on education.

"I know, it’s frightening that it’s got to this point. I remember when schools were good and worked alongside parents not against them. It’s strange how easily schools have become Big Brother with zero pushback"

Schools have no autonomy anymore. They have to do whatever the government and the DFE dictate with the shadow of a punitive Ofsted regime constantly looming. It's a massive driver of the teacher recruitment and retention crisis. Schools just do what they are told and the anger should not be directed at them. Parents often blame schools for policies they don't like eg attendance- but the schools don't make those rules yet they get all the abuse over it.

"of course not, she’s suggesting that those groups of people are particularly vulnerable to People pushing trans ideology"

Yes I didn't read the post properly - apologies. But who is pushing trans ideology? You aren't allowed to in schools here. That's very clear. The biggest pressure on young people comes from their peers and social media. The idea that teachers are turning kids trans or encouraging it is utterly ludicrous and it just isn't happening. Kids are utterly obsessed with whatever is on TikTok and treat it like a totally reliable source of information.

She's unfortunately my MP and I can confidently say she's useless. Just likes photo opportunities in between travelling to her holiday home in Northumberland.

In my child's school the RSE sessions were announced with in the middle of a lengthy bulletin including term dates, exam info etc etc.
I asked for more information and got very little - only session titles. The policy is on the school website but school did not signpost that to me, and I was concerned by the limited info in the policy, which goes beyond the statutory RSE curriculum. Then DC told me about some of the content.

I was not happy and asked to see the materials. I was told it was confidential so they couldn't send me anything. They arranged for me to view the materials in a meeting at school during work hours. Another parent will be there.

I am unlikely to get time off work, so in effect, I can't see the materials. Are you saying I should report to Ofsted?

I have never been consulted on the content, btw.

Things like this are why my DC are in a massively-strict independent catholic school (we are not catholic). We are given the PHSE curriculum and there’s nothing contentious in it.

It’s horrendous they would roll this back, if there was no problems as she says, why would they need to hide?

I would write a firmly worded email and quote the document I posted earlier regarding the role of parents.
I would also ask them to confirm when the consultation process for their chosen materials took place. I would also insist that the materials were available at a more convenient time for you to peruse.

I think you are very naive. ‘Educate and celebrate’ took a drag queen called ‘flo job’ into a primary school to celebrate pride for example and there was definitely material encouraging girls to welcome men who identify as women into their toilets and suggesting any girl who was uncomfortable was a bigot.

There have been a really significant number of schools where external providers have come in to cover these areas of the curriculum and refused to share materials because it might ‘infringe their copyright’. This happened at my child’s school. We kicked up as much fuss as we could because the provider (the School of Sexuality Education) has been involved in some unsavoury episodes, but though we got an online meeting with the tutor, the materials were never made available to parents. As it turned out , in the meeting all that was discussed seemed perfectly innocuous- online safety etc. but talking to the kids afterwards we discovered that classes covered very different material, especially a framing of gender issues that I would certainly have wished to address in the meeting and potentially object to or withdraw my child from the sessions. This really does happen, and I think we need far more information about how embedded it is in different areas and institutions.

Unfortunately there are some schools who don't prioritise child safeguarding and do promote trans ideology - to the extent they've transitioned children in secret from their parents and even referred parents to SS as a safeguarding concern if they fail to affirm their child's belief they've been "born in the wrong body"

The problems with lack of access to SRE resources for parents is that schools are desperate for guidance for complex issues like SRE and some turned to self identified "experts" who produced endless streams of porn soaked materials, gender identity propaganda and queer theory nonsense under the label of "inclusive" SRE. A couple of examples of what we've looked at on this board for many years :

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4526569-This-charity-is-delivering-sex-education-in-schools

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4584553-the-proud-trust

@LyndaLaHughes I am very glad you are doing things properly in your school
But your insistence that all schools are doing things properly because ofsted and DfE will pick you up on it is simply not true.

I suggest you read the evidence we gave to the Women and equalities select committee two years ago.

https://safeschoolsallianceuk.net/2023/05/21/women-equalities-committee/

Another thread of evidence here:

https://x.com/safeschoolsuk/status/1635573520942891008?s=46&t=wKQqSS_HYEY78hJQTlX9tJw

I could go on and on

They don’t force you to send your children to school though. Home schooling is allowed.

"I would write a firmly worded email and quote the document I posted earlier regarding the role of parents.
I would also ask them to confirm when the consultation process for their chosen materials took place. I would also insist that the materials were available at a more convenient time for you to peruse"

I have lost count of the strongly worded emails we have been copied on. I have experienced it myself going through all the stages of the complaints process only to have my complaint not upheld.

My point is that there are already statutory requirements on this. I also said that all schools should be doing this properly because there is very clear information on what should happen and there is recourse for schools- and indeed, steps for parents to take with regards to Ofsted also. I did say there are incidents of bad practice I'm sure- but is it isn't the norm. That's what I object to- that this is somehow widespread practice in England- because it isn't. I would also like to make a point that just because a certain organisation is (in my opinion unwisely) used doesn't mean a school then promotes that agenda.

Yup. The amendment wasn’t taken up as there’s no need. There are things in place already

Thanks, I will try that.

There is no way you have read all the links I have sent you proving this is a serious and widespread problem. Serious enough for us to give evidence to a select committee and for a group
Of women to have spent 6 years supporting parents and teachers and campaigning on the systematic dismantling of safeguarding.There may well be statutory requirements but they are not being enforced by Ofsted or DfE