Scottish Union for Education – Newsletter No45
Newsletter Themes: Adult’s ‘identity’ trumps children’s needs, parents and teachers unite to challenge gender ideology and restore sanity to our schools
This week the Sun decided to follow up on the story we presented in a previous newsletter about a Glasgow nursery that had employed a trans-identifying trainee and ignored parents’ concerns. It’s good to see these issues raised in the mainstream media, but the Sun’s story was all about the ‘trans’ nursery worker; no one seemed to be interested in the children. Kate Deeming compares the rhetoric of education policy documents and the local authority’s failure to put the child first.
The Sunday Post and the Daily Mail followed another SUE article on poor standards of English among school-leavers. It was great to see teaching and assessment under scrutiny. On a less positive note, when the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR) study recorded increasing levels of violence in schools and a breakdown in discipline, several news outlets carried stories about an outburst of ‘misogyny’ in schools. Apparently, the discipline problems were not the responsibility of school management and policy – but the fault of Andrew Tate!
In this culture, it’s often hard for parents to express their frustration with schools and to get a fair hearing. Headteachers and school management often accuse concerned parents of having ‘pointy elbows’, of trying to push their own child’s needs up the agenda. Marie Mamulova, a parent from Edinburgh, argues that it’s time to take a stand against the education authorities and school management and to tell schools what we think, particularly when it comes to the question of sex and gender.
Are nurseries safe? What the media said about the trans-identifying nursery worker
Kate Deeming is SUE’s Parent and Supporters Group Coordinator.
Two weeks ago, I wrote a report for SUE on the case of a 4-year-old who had become upset when she was asked to lie about the sex of a newly appointed ‘trans’ nursery worker. The little girl was distressed because she could see that this individual was male, but the staff were insisting that the worker was female.
When parents approached the nursery, staff offered to ‘re-educate’ the children to ‘help them adjust’. The parents refused the offer; they did not want their children to be taught to lie. Earlier this month the parents contacted me; they did not know what to do. To add to the already stressful situation, one parent had been told that the nursery would report her to the police if she continued to speak to other parents about the issue, as it supposedly constituted harassment. This parent, who is fluent in English, Urdu and Punjabi, had been speaking to the parents who were confused. The nursery had not told parents (some of whom do not have English as their first language) anything about the issue.
So, imagine my surprise when the Sun reported the story last week without a single mention of the child, or her rights, safety, dignity or development. What was reported was the rights of the adult worker. Its now clear that Glasgow City Council has created a policy for nurseries which prioritises the wishes and ‘rights’ of adult staff over what is best for children. This begs the question, ‘How can nurseries maintain that they are safe places for children?’
When I first tweeted about this, not one of the 60,000 people who engaged in the resulting discussion referred to the individual adult’s rights. Everyone on the thread was rightfully thinking about the children. Nursery children are vulnerable; for good child development they must be treated with care and must be able to trust the adults to care for them – this is basic safeguarding.
The failure to uphold this basic idea is a serious betrayal by both nursery workers and our policy-makers. The Getting It Right for Every Child Policy, which underpins the care and education of all children in Scotland, does not say, ‘We want all children and young people to live in an equal society that enables them to flourish, to be treated with kindness, dignity and respect, and to have their rights upheld at all times – except when it is necessary to affirm the identity of a trans-identifying adult’.
The idea that a distressed 4-year-old child should just suck it up and that society needs to prioritise the ‘needs’ of an adult over the development and wellbeing of a child is disgusting. The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 includes the principle that children are to ‘be educated in accordance with wishes of their parents’. Was there a caveat that I missed which says, ‘– except when the state wants to step in and mess with their development and wellbeing for political and ideological reasons?’
Maybe it should come as no surprise that Glasgow Clyde College (who trained this nursery worker) issued an equalities statement rather than addressing the big old child development ‘elephant in the room’. It was at its sister college in Ayrshire that despite awaiting trial for two charges of rape, Isla Bryson was allowed to apply fake tan to young women as part of a beauty course. Equalities innit? The Glasgow worker is reported to have left the nursery ‘on concerns for their safety’, the suggestion being that the parents and children couldn’t be trusted to conduct themselves in a reasonable way. The real safety concern should be with council-run services set up to facilitate child growth but unprepared to put the needs of the children first.
If any individual is so fragile as to feel threatened by the possibility of being misgendered by pre-schoolers, is he or she well suited to the profession? I don’t know what I would do if I had a child in a Glasgow nursery. I know there are good workers who care about kids, but unless this nonsense stops, everyone gets put at risk. It’s a lose–lose situation which could lead to an exodus from nurseries and schools, but maybe that’s the goal? We must continue to speak up and speak out until children’s actual needs and development are placed at the core of the services and the political ideology taken out of it; until that happens, your nursery is no longer safe for your kids.
What should we do to restore sanity to our schools?
Marie Mamulova is a concerned parent who advocates for children and believes that one of the most important ways in which we should protect our children is by setting clear boundaries. She found her place in therapeutic coaching. Her motto is ‘critical thinking led by heart and intuition’. She reflects on her own childhood and suggests that it’s time for parents to stop being intimidated by the education authorities and take a stand against indoctrination.
Are you a parent who openly expresses concerns regarding the gender theory introduced to our children? If so, you have most likely been disciplined by parents who act as a self-appointed moral police and call those with concerns ‘hateful bigots’ or worse. They claim that those of us who share concerns and disagree with gender ideology are denying their or their children’s very existence. They say it makes them feel unsafe and threatened. That is, of course, not my aim. As a mother of a 14-year-old, I am concerned that there is no room for open and peaceful communication.
I got involved in a few online discussions when I was looking for like-minded people, and the hysteria I encountered around gender ideology was truly shocking. What was even more shocking was that very few people were willing to set boundaries and call out this online bullying. The number of people ready to show their concerns is increasing, which is great to see. We know that those causing the hysteria are a minority, but their views are fully supported by most of our institutions. A minority bullies a whole nation, and we seem to be powerless.
I experienced this as a child growing up in Czechoslovakia, a communist country where only one view was allowed. The state aimed to step between the parent and the child. Schools during communism were the place of political indoctrination; they were the foundations of the political regime. Different political marches were mandatory for both adults and children to attend. Those who didn’t attend were questioned, and the secret police operated in the background to protect the power of the regime.
All children were expected to join the Pioneer Organisation of the Socialist Youth Union. It was a youth Marxist–Leninist organisation in communist Czechoslovakia, and although the organisation proclaimed to be voluntary, every child was expected to join from the age of six. Only those who attended other outside-school activities were not questioned. I played the violin and as a musical child was also a member of a school choir. Children would sing at communist events and the pioneers had to wear a uniform. I never wore that uniform because my parents said it didn’t represent our views. Both my teachers and my well-meaning friends who didn’t want me to feel odd wanted me to wear it. It felt overwhelming to be stuck between the pressure from the school and the loyalty towards my family.
In November 2023, the Czech people celebrated 34 years since the Velvet Revolution, the moment the communist government was forced to resign, and the Czech and Slovak people gained democracy and freedom of speech. I now live in the UK, and what I am witnessing scares me hugely. It is different in many aspects but essentially the same. Only one view is allowed. Only one flag is meant to fly. And we know that the current ‘Progress’ Pride flag no longer represents what the original rainbow flag stood for. Whenever you try to challenge the views of those who promote gender theory, especially online, you are in trouble. Immediately, strong voices shower you with very aggressive comments, and soon you see individuals rushing in to support these voices with their likes and little red hearts, in a form of uniquely annoying and dangerous community virtue signalling. The danger is that, in an attempt not to feel excluded or ostracised, we are turning away from difficult but important areas of discussion.
It didn’t take long for me to realise that there was a rule to be followed in the community, in my neighbourhood. That there is an invisible manual people are meant to follow if they want to feel truly included. This is a strange ‘wall’ that not many people are ready to walk through. It requires determination and courage to challenge the rules of the wall guards. I did that a few times. And yes, it is draining and difficult, and recovery is needed afterwards. But it is worth it. We need to do this as parents together. It is our collective responsibility. I talk to people. I approach people in my neighbourhood. I explain why I am concerned and ask them for their opinion.
I know that many shop owners and charity shop managers on the high street are fed up with the flag flying. I know about teachers from the local school who share my concerns and wish for the indoctrination to end. I even talk to dog owners when walking my dog, because I try to learn what people think. It is easy to take the conversation from any dog-related topics, through the weather, to the more serious gender debate. It is obvious that most people see the problem to a varying extent. So, my question is this: what stops the Scottish people from taking action?
First, I started my daughter on home education during the first lockdown and kept her away from school for over three years, mainly to avoid anything to do with gender theory. She is now back in state education, and I informed her school that she is not going to attend the RSHP classes when they talk about sex and gender identity. The person teaching this was quite happy with that and promised to let us know when they get to that topic. Of course, our main concern is the children with gender distress who might be unnecessarily sent down the medical path. But all children are affected by this ideology.
In the context of today’s Scottish schools, we are concerned about the feelings of children, as well as their parents, who know that there are only two sexes and that sex is immutable, and who don’t believe there is an endless number of gender identities. What should we do to restore sanity in our schools?
Parents, teachers, and all adults with concerns need to unite. We need to talk, we need to express our concerns loud and clear, and we need to take action. It is our obligation to do so. We are responsible for our children, their wellbeing, and their learning. We need to make sure we do what we can so that, in times to come, we don’t feel devastated realising that we let down a whole generation of children when they needed our protection. If we unite, we will be able to break that dangerous invisible wall and restore the much-needed reflection and balance in the gender debate.
News round-up
A selection of recent stories related to Scottish education in the press in the past week, by Simon Knight.
https://archive.is/K960a Louisa Clarence-Smith, Civil servants deleted clause banning political indoctrination in schools. The Department for Education temporarily removed the ban which prevented teachers pushing personal political views. 20/11/23
https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/blasphemy-in-schools/ Damon Perry, ‘Blasphemy’ in Schools Self-Censorship and Security Fears Amongst British Teachers. 20/11/23
Beth-Ann Rosica, Who are the real extremists in education? 21/11/23
https://capx.co/scotlands-read-woke-scheme-will-have-shakespeare-turning-in-his-grave/ Joanna Williams, Scotland’s ‘Read Woke’ scheme will have Shakespeare turning in his grave. 15/11/23
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/24825143/trans-nursery-worker-glasgow-parents-complain/ Harry Williamson, Trans teacher forced to quit Glasgow nursery after parent backlash. The Scottish Sun has learned that the individual recently left the council-run facility following the complaints. 22/11/23
Joanna Williams, Why won’t the Tories ban pupils from transitioning? 23/11/23
https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/report-teachers-self-censoring-and-bullied-by-de-facto-blasphemy-codes-5534834 Owen Evans, Teachers ‘Self-Censoring’ and Bullied by 'De Facto Blasphemy' Codes. Teachers won't dare use images of the prophet Muhammad in classrooms as they have been affected by the case of a teacher who is still in hiding. 23/11/23
https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/scottish-education-institutionally-racist-researchers-are-told Emma Seith, Scottish education is ‘institutionally racist’, researchers are told. Racism in Scottish schools is ‘normal’, with teacher-on-teacher racism ‘the elephant in the staffroom’, says keynote speaker. 23/11/23
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23948971.former-greens-leader-calls-members-remove-harvie-slater/?ref=ebln&nid=1220&u=3113c1b3a77b3e25e409aaa02c22166f&date=271123 David Bol, Former Greens leader calls for members to remove Harvie and Slater. 27/11/23
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/call-for-change-in-literacy-teaching-as-study-shows-one-in-three-kids-struggle/ Emma Lawson & Mary Wright, Call for change in literacy teaching as study shows one in three kids struggle. 26/11/23
https://thecritic.co.uk/hey-regulator-leave-those-teachers-alone/ Rev. Dr Bernard Randall, Hey, regulator, leave those teachers alone, against authoritarian tolerance in education. 28/11/23
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