Freedom to disagree with same-sex marriage under threat in schools: respond today

May 24, 2018 by

from The Christian Institute:

Wording in draft Government guidance threatens to stop teachers saying they disagree with same-sex marriage. It would shut down debate and block pupils from hearing an alternative view. A consultation on the guidance closes on Tuesday 5 June. Please respond urgently.

The draft guidance says that a school will not meet requirements if its PSHE curriculum “suggests that same-sex marriages or civil partnerships should not be recognised as being lawful unions under civil law”.

This wording will inevitably restrict disagreement with same-sex marriage in schools. Teachers will not want to put their school at risk of being failed. Ofsted has shown itself all too willing to pursue schools that are not politically correct enough. The draft guidance would give a further excuse for hostile inspectors to ask children inappropriate questions.

The Government is consulting on the new guidance to help independent schools know what is expected when they are assessed against the Independent School Standards. But just because this particular guidance only applies to independent schools doesn’t mean other schools are safe.

As we have seen with British values inspections, what is asked of independent schools will soon be applied to all schools. Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework sees to that. State-funded schools will certainly not be given any more leeway than independent schools, which usually have the most freedom.

We have included background information to the consultation in our new briefing. Tips for what to say in response are below. Please respond to the consultation by Tuesday 5 June.

Read here

 

 

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