Welcome to the Winter Bulletin. As we’re in the middle of a cold snap, it’s a good time to wrap up in a blanket and catch up with our latest news. We hope you’re managing to keep warm in these difficult times!
In this issue we feature two mothers writing about their concerns about their children being taught gender ideology in school. This is an ongoing issue parents are facing in the UK, with the Department for Education seeming to be in no hurry to issue any guidelines to schools about how to deal with transgender issues. The latest Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, has this week told MPs that the guidance will not be issued before next year, and refused to say when it is likely to appear. We were also very concerned that she seems unfamiliar with the issues parents and teachers are facing on a daily basis, when questioned by Miriam Cates about the fact that schools are teaching children gender identity and queer theory as fact.
We will be writing to the Government about Ms Keegan’s approach, as the longer she delays taking action, the more children are being harmed by being told they have been “born in the wrong body”. This ideology is tearing families apart and harming children – it has to stop now.
Our ongoing commitment to campaigning against issues which are affecting children and families has inevitably brought us to the attention of some LGBTQ+ activists who are trying to ruin our reputation by complaining to the Charity Commission that we are a “far-right hate group”. As FET has no religious or political affiliations, we rely entirely on voluntary donations. Defending ourselves against continued attacks is proving to be costly, so if anyone can afford even the smallest amount to help us continue to stand up for the family, we would greatly appreciate it.
You can find out how to donate here: How you can support us – Family Education Trust
Some good news just announced is that the controversial Schools Bill is do be withdrawn.
The government wanted to use the Schools Bill to legislate on issues such as the structure and regulation of academies, school attendance, and school funding.
But the legislation has hit hurdles since it was introduced this year, with peers in the House of Lords calling proposals “power grab” that gave the government too much control. We shared our thoughts about the school bill in this article.
What’s wrong with the Schools Bill? – Family Education Trust
Some more good news this week is that the Charity Commission has announced it is opening a statutory inquiry into Mermaids, due to serious concerns about its governance and safeguarding. The CEO, Susie Green, resigned last week with the organisation now recruiting for an interim CEO. Whistleblowers have also revealed a worrying culture within Mermaids, so we hope that the Charity Commission will permanently shut it down, and then focus on other charities with the same mission, such as Gendered Intelligence.
Regulator announces statutory inquiry into Mermaids – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
An independent inquiry is also needed into how Mermaids became so powerful and infiltrated so many public institutions, receiving grants from the Department for Education, Children in Need and the National Lottery, as well as millions of pounds of funding from corporations including Starbucks, Amazon and various partnerships with British universities.
Last week we also sent our response to the NHS public consultation regarding its interim services for children suffering with gender dysphoria. We fundamentally disagree with the concept of any child being “transgender” and hope that the NHS leaders do not allow clinicians to medically transition any child. You can read our full response here: FET response to the NHS Interim service specification for specialist gender dysphoria services for children and young people – Family Education Trust
Finally, we are pleased to announce that Ian Court, founder of Pint Size Theatre, will be holding a workshop on RSE resources in schools at our annual conference on 23rd June 2023. In this issue he discusses the importance of safeguarding and evidence-based PHSE using drama. Ian has also offered FET supporters who are teachers, social workers or work in child safeguarding free access to Pintsize Theatre resources in return for feedback on the website.
Follow the instructions online on the website and then an unlimited number of parent/carers can join as Additional Users. You should all join the Secondary Membership, as that will give you access to everything. Ignore all requests for payment, it is free, especially those who home school. Please use FAMILY ACADEMY but be aware that Ian will join each applicant manually as it is not an automatic system) so there may be a several hour gap between joining and having access. There are 7 podcasts and 1 film covering a variety of RSE and PSHE topics. Each also has its own Resource Pack to promote ongoing, evidence based, risk awareness and discussion. pintsizetheatre.co.uk