Connect with us

Published

on

Teachers in England have been told they do not have to address pupils in their chosen pronouns under new government guidance on how best to support transgender students.

The draft document, released by the Department of Education, was meant to be published before the summer holidays, but was delayed to ensure it met the “high expectations” of teachers and parents.

It states that children, teachers or staff at a school should “not be required to adopt the use of preferred pronouns”.

In the absence of preferred pronouns, the child’s preferred name should be used, with schools having a duty to ensure bullying is never tolerated.

The guidance also states that schools and colleges do not have to, and should not, accept all requests for social transition.

Social transitioning relates to a pupil requesting to change pronouns, names and uniform.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘I socially transitioned at school’

“Proper use of this guidance means social transition, in practice, should be extremely rare when the appropriate safeguards are put in place and the child’s best interest taken into account,” the draft states.

Where a school considers a request, the draft states a “cautious approach” should be taken, including ensuring parents are fully consulted before any decision is taken.

Other main points from the draft guidance include:
• Schools should make sure competitive sport is fair for all students, which will almost always mean separate sports for boys and girls;
• Schools must provide sex-separated toilets for students aged eight and over and suitable changing accommodation and showers for pupils aged 11 and over;
• Single-sex schools can refuse to admit pupils of the opposite biological sex, regardless of whether they are questioning their gender;
• A gender questioning child should wear the same uniform standard as other children of their sex;
• Sleeping arrangements like dormitories, tents and shared rooms should be sex separated.

The draft is non-statutory, with parents and teachers now urged to have their say in a 12-week consultation.

New guidance could leave educators with more questions than they have answers

By Mollie Malone, news correspondent

The language on gender identity in schools is fairly tough, but it doesn’t massively change the status quo.

Much of the draft guidance issued by government, for schools and colleges in England, will still be down to the interpretation of individual teachers.

At the crux of this is how children who are questioning or wanting to change their gender, or express themselves differently by using different pronouns, uniforms, or appearances – known as socially transitioning – are supported and treated at school.

The advice to schools is that there is “no general duty” to allow them to permit social transitioning, that schools can “decline” an older child’s request to use a different pronoun.

“Schools and colleges should only agree to a change of pronouns… if they are confident that the benefit to the individual child outweighs the impact on the school community.”

Again – the decision is down to the discretion of the individual teacher.

Can, not should. No ‘general’ duty.

The guidance places heavy emphasis on parental involvement in any decision.

“Parents should not be excluded,” it says. This was to be expected. But the line between when and where a parent should be consulted is a slightly blurred one.

“Where a child requests action from a school or college in relation to any degree of social transition, schools and colleges should engage parents as a matter of priority… other than in the exceptionally rare circumstances where involving parents would constitute a significant risk of harm to the child.”

Who decides the ‘degree’ and harm? Many of these circumstances are ‘rare’ anyway. The transgender pupil population, while definitively unknown, is small.

For many schools and colleges, this will be welcome guiding principles which they’ve waited a long time for.

For politicians, among them former prime minister Liz Truss, who wants social transitioning in schools to be banned altogether – this won’t be anywhere as near as stringent as they think it should be.

Either way – this guidance, which is only guidance and not statutory – could end up leaving educators with more questions than they have answers.

On Tuesday, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the draft puts the “best interests of all children first, removing any confusion about the protections that must be in place for biological sex and single-sex spaces”.

She said it makes clear that safety and safeguarding for all children must always be schools’ primary concern.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘Issue of gender has gone in our school’

Speaking to reporters, Kemi Badenoch, minister for women and equalities, added: “This is comprehensive guidance. It can’t be the case that teachers have a lot of leeway, and we’re also forcing them to tell parents.

“What we are doing is making sure that for those schools who are very confused about what to do, and are getting very bad advice from organisations like Stonewall among others, understand what the government believes should be done.”

Read more UK news:
Dame Esther Rantzen says she has joined assisted dying clinic

Police Scotland search for missing woman
Sculptor produces tiny three wise men in the eye of a needle

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT said on initial look, the draft proposals “leave a lot of questions unanswered”, leaving school leaders in “incredibly difficult” positions.

He said the union will be reviewing the draft proposals and will submit a response to the government’s consultation on behalf of members.

Confederation of School Trusts chief executive Leora Cruddas, concerned at the timing of the release of the document, said: “This will make it very challenging to respond to any concerns felt by pupils, parents and staff until schools return in the new year.”

A spokesperson for Mermaids, a transgender youth support charity, said the guidance was “unworkable, out of touch and absurd”.

The spokesperson said: “Rather than listening to trans young people and reflecting best practice of inclusive educators across the UK, the Government has created more confusion for schools and is putting young people at risk.”

What do teachers think?

Teacher Tapp, a daily survey app, asked more than 7,000 teachers their view of the guidance before it was officially published.

The results were split into primary school and secondary school responses:

• 41% of secondary school teachers were concerned guidance could be more divisive than helpful;

• 10% said they would prefer to rely on their own current policy;

• 34% of secondary school teachers said they would appreciate the clarification it could bring;

• 15% were open to whatever is recommended.

Teachers were then asked to what extent the political conversation affected their work.

• 62% of secondary teachers and 76% of primary teachers said it has had no effect.

Teachers were allowed to answer more than one option in the first poll.

‘Does not go far enough’

But in an early indication of potential unease about the measures on the right of the Conservative party, former prime minister Liz Truss said the guidance “does not go far enough”.

She called for a change in the law rather than non-statutory guidance.

Ms Truss said: “I fear that activists and others will be able to exploit loopholes in the guidance and the existing legal framework to pursue their agenda, leaving children at risk of making irreversible changes and with single-sex spaces not sufficiently protected.”

The former prime minister called on government to back her Health and Equality Acts (Amendment) Bill, which she first put to parliament on 6 December.

Under the proposed bill, social transitioning would not be recognised by schools or the state in children, and puberty blockers and hormone treatment for gender dysphoria would be banned for under-18s.

Speaking ahead of the publication of the draft, the prime minister’s spokesperson said it was a “complex area” and it was right to “take the time to get this right”.

Continue Reading

UK

VE Day: Veterans to join King for tea party as Keir Starmer praises ‘selfless dedication’

Published

on

By

VE Day: Veterans to join King for tea party as Keir Starmer praises 'selfless dedication'

Veterans are set to join the King for a VE Day tea party today as the prime minister has paid tribute to the “selfless dedication” of the war generation.

Among them will be a 99-year-old who took part in the D-Day landings and a 100-year-old woman who worked in the Special Operations Executive, known as Churchill’s Secret Army.

Director general of the Royal British Legion, Mark Atkinson, said the charity was “proud” to be taking a place “at the heart of these national celebrations and commemorations” on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

He said it would be “one of our last opportunities as a nation to pay tribute to those veterans still with us today”.

Evacuees from World War Two and veterans who were still in active conflict after VE Day are among the other guests set to attend the tea party, which will take place in the presence of the King and other members of the Royal Family.

The Royal Family will watch a millitary procession and flypast on Monday. File pic: PA
Image:
The Royal Family will watch a military procession and flypast on Monday. File pic: PA

At 12pm, the Royal Family will observe a military procession, followed by a flypast.

It will be the first major VE Day anniversary without any of the royals who stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the day victory in Europe was declared, after the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

More on Ve Day

‘Not just for Britain’

The celebrations come as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised veterans for their “selfless dedication” and thanked them for a “debt that can never fully be repaid” in an open letter ahead of VE Day.

He said the stories which will be heard this week from those who fought in the Second World War would be a reminder that the victory “was not just for Britain” but was also “a victory for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil”.

Sir Keir said the WW2 veterans “represent the best of who we are” and that without their service “the freedom, peace and joy that these celebrations embody, would not be possible”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

VE Day veteran tells Sky News what the atmosphere was like when WWII was finally declared over in Europe

Personnel from NATO allies the US, France and Germany will be among those taking part in the procession in London.

The commemorations will begin with the words of Sir Winston Churchill‘s 1945 victory speech, spoken by actor Timothy Spall.

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of the capital to witness the celebrations.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Codebreaker’s ‘special’ encounter with Churchill

Read more:
What’s happening to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day?
When and where to watch VE Day flypast
Augmented reality brings to life the stories of VE Day 80 years on

On the anniversary itself on Thursday, marking exactly 80 years since the Allies formally accepted Germany’s surrender, a service of commemoration will be held at Westminster Abbey, to include a national two minutes’ silence.

Pubs across England and Wales, which usually close at 11pm, will also stay open for an extra two hours to allow punters more time to celebrate.

Continue Reading

UK

Eight arrests in connection with two separate terrorism investigations

Published

on

By

Eight arrests in connection with two separate terrorism investigations

Eight men have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police in two unconnected but “significant” terrorism investigations.

In one operation on Saturday, counter-terror officers arrested five men – four of whom are Iranian nationals – as they swooped in on various locations around the country. All are in police custody.

The Met said the arrests related to a “suspected plot to target a specific premises”.

In an update shortly after midnight, the force said: “Officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant advice and support, but for operational reasons, we are not able to provide further information at this time.”

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Counter-terrorism policing, supported by police and colleagues from across the country, have conducted arrests in two really significant operations, both of which have been designed to keep the public safe from threats.

“There are several hundred officers and staff working on this investigation, and we will work very hard to ensure we understand the threats to the wider public.”

He refused to say if the plot was related to Israel, but described it as “certainly significant” and said “it is unusual for us to conduct this scale of activity”.

He also asked the public to “avoid speculation and some of the things that are being posted online”.

MI5 director general Ken McCallum said in October that the intelligence agency had responded to 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots since 2022. He warned of the risk of an “increase or broadening of Iranian state aggression in the UK”.

Read more: Terror arrests came in context of raised warnings about Iran

Children ‘petrified’ by armed police

Rochdale resident Kyle Warren, who witnessed one of the arrests at a neighbouring house, said his children had been playing in the garden when they came running into the house, saying a man in a mask had told them to go inside.

“Obviously, I was a bit worried,” Mr Warren told Sky News’ Lisa Dowd, and so he went into the garden to investigate.

“As we’ve come out, we just heard a massive bang, seen loads of police everywhere with guns, shouting at us to get inside the house.”

Kyle Warren said his children were 'petrified'
Image:
Kyle Warren said his children were ‘petrified’

From upstairs in his house, he then heard “loads of shouting in the house” and saw a man being pulled out of the back of the house, “dragged down the side entry and thrown into all the bushes and then handcuffed”.

There were about 20 to 30 officers with guns, he believes.

“It’s just shocking, really. You don’t expect it on your doorstep.”

His daughters were “petrified… I don’t think they’ve ever seen a gun, so to see 20 masked men with guns running round was quite scary for them”.

Mr Warren, who only moved into his house a year ago, said he had “never really seen anyone going in or out” of the house and actually thought it was empty.

One suspect was arrested in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester. Pic: Sarah Cash
Image:
One suspect was arrested in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester. Pic: Sarah Cash

One suspect was arrested in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester. Pic: Sarah Cash
Image:
One suspect was arrested in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester. Pic: Sarah Cash

Arrests and searches around the country

The Met added officers were carrying out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas in connection with the investigation.

It said those detained were:

• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Swindon area
• A 46-year-old man arrested in west London
• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Stockport area
• A 40-year-old man arrested in the Rochdale area
• A man whose age was not confirmed arrested in the Manchester area.

Passenger footage of a police van in Stockport over the terrorism arrest SQUARE OR PORTRAIT
Image:
A 29-year-old man was arrested in the Stockport area

Terror arrests in separate investigation

Police also arrested three further Iranian nationals in London on Saturday as part of another, unrelated counter-terror investigation.

The suspects were detained under section 27 of the National Security Act 2023, which allows police to arrest those suspected of being “involved in foreign power threat activity”.

Read more from Sky News:
Pictured: Boy killed in fire – 14 children arrested
Lady Gaga puts on biggest-ever show for free

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “These were two major operations that reflect some of the biggest counter state threat and counter terrorism operations that we have seen in recent years.

“This reflects the complexity of the kinds of challenges to our national security that we continue to face.”

Earlier, she thanked police and security services in a statement, and called the incidents “serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats”.

Last year, the government placed the whole of the Iranian state – including its intelligence services – on the enhanced tier of the new foreign influence registration scheme.

It means anyone asked by Iran to carry out actions for the state must declare it, or face prison time.

Continue Reading

UK

Terror arrests came in context of raised warnings about Iran, with ongoing chaos in its own backyard

Published

on

By

Terror arrests came in context of raised warnings about Iran, with ongoing chaos in its own backyard

These are two separate and unrelated investigations by counter-terror officers.

But the common thread is nationality – seven out of the eight people arrested are Iranian.

And that comes in the context of increased warnings from government and the security services about Iranian activity on British soil.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Counter terror officers raid property

Last year, the director general of MI5, Ken McCallum, said his organisation and police had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents since January 2022.

He linked that increase to the ongoing situation in Iran’s own backyard.

“As events unfold in the Middle East, we will give our fullest attention to the risk of an increase in – or a broadening of – Iranian state aggression in the UK,” he said.

The implication is that even as Iran grapples with a rapidly changing situation in its own region, having seen its proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, decimated and itself coming under Israeli attack, it may seek avenues further abroad.

More on Iran

The government reiterated this warning only a few weeks ago, with security minister Dan Jarvis addressing parliament.

“The threat from Iran sits in a wider context of the growing, diversifying and evolving threat that the UK faces from malign activity by a number of states,” Jarvis said.

“The threat from states has become increasingly interconnected in nature, blurring the lines between: domestic and international; online and offline; and states and their proxies.

“Turning specifically to Iran, the regime has become increasingly emboldened, asserting itself more aggressively to advance their objectives and undermine ours.”

Read more:
Anybody working for Iran in UK must register or face jail, government announces

As part of that address, Jarvis highlighted the National Security Act 2023, which “criminalises assisting a foreign intelligence service”, among other things.

So it was notable that this was the act used in one of this weekend’s investigations.

The suspects were detained under section 27 of the same act, which allows police to arrest those suspected of being “involved in foreign power threat activity”.

Those powers are apparently being put to use.

Continue Reading

Trending