Education Minister declares war on parents

The Guardian reports that Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Education has written to a head teachers’ union.  It was prompted by a row which started in Birmingham over schools teaching homosexuality to primary-age children. The row is mentioned in his letter, available right here: Letter 190409 to NAHT from Damian Hinds

No Outsiders

At Parkfield Community School, Muslim parents objected to a programme called ‘No Outsiders’ ‘No Outsiders’ was developed by a gay activist at that very primary school to promote sodomy and lesbianism.  The man, Andrew Moffat, has a history of producing pro-sodomy propaganda for schools.  A previous work of his was called ‘Challenging Homophobia in Primary Schools’.  No Outsiders was taught under ‘Relationships Education’. This enables the school to say they are not teaching homosexuality in Sex Education. Clever, eh?

Three successive Thursday morning protests outside the school failed to moved them. In the event, it took two days of mass truancy for Parkfield to back down. The parents kept 540 to 600 pupils off school out of 740 on the roll on successive Fridays. As a consequence, CEO Hazel Pulley is no longer teaching ‘No Outsiders’. She said: ‘Until a resolution has been reached, No Outsiders lessons will not be taught at Parkfield and we hope that children will not be removed from school to take part in protests.’

Nevertheless, an ex-chief of Ofsted and gay activists want the lessons to resume. That report is here.

In the letter, Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP declares what amounts to a religious war on parents. He said it was right that parents were consulted.  They should be ‘involved in developing how schools deliver relationships education’.  Nevertheless, he insisted “what is taught, and how, is ultimately a decision for the school.”

Equality Act

The letter was written to the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). It was made public yesterday. Mr Hinds expresses concern at reports of teachers feeling intimidated. “Dedicated public servants faithfully discharging their duty have an absolute right to feel confident and safe.”

Paul Whiteman, pro-gay NAHT general secretary, welcomed Hinds’ intervention: “We are pleased to see the secretary of state making his views known and reaffirming the expectations that the Equality Act places on schools.

“Schools should be a place of safety and calm, and everyone in the community has a responsibility to maintain that atmosphere. Protests do nothing to help schools achieve their public duty or create the conditions children need to learn.”  That’s more establishment arrogance.  We care nothing for this apparent ‘public duty’ of schools to advance homosexuality.  But protests can create exactly the conditions parents want their children to learn in.  As in, LGBT-free.

On the issue of what is taught, Mr Hinds continued: “We want schools to consult parents, listen to their views, and make reasonable decisions about how to proceed.”

No parental veto

Nevertheless, Mr Hinds went to say schools could ride roughshod over parental views. “I want to reassure you and the members you represent that consultation does not provide a parental veto on curriculum content.  “We want schools to consult parents, listen to their views, and make reasonable decisions about how to proceed (including through consideration of their wider duties) – and we will support them in this.”

Elsewhere in his letter, Mr Hinds says LGBT content is optional for primary schools. They do not actually have to teach it. ‘We have been clear that pupils should receive teaching on LGBT relationships during their school years -we expect secondary schools to include LGBT content. Primary schools are enabled and encouraged to cover LGBT content if they consider it age appropriate to do so.’

Moreover, schools will cite the ‘Public Sector Equality Duty’ to advance homosexuality and transgenderism.

In September 2020 new Guidelines on RSE will make it compulsory for schools to consult parents. At the moment consultation is only a ‘should’.

The new Guidelines say:

‘13. All schools must have in place a written policy for Relationships Education and RSE. Schools must consult parents in developing and reviewing their policy. Schools should ensure that the policy meets the needs of pupils and parents and reflects the community they serve.

‘14. There are many excellent examples in which schools have established clear sex education policies in consultation with parents, governors and the wider community, and where they are already delivering effective programmes. Schools should build on that good work in adapting to these new requirements.’

The Guidance goes on:   ‘24. Schools should also ensure that, when they consult with parents, they provide examples of the resources that they plan to use as this can be reassuring for parents and enables them to continue the conversations started in class at home.’

A nod to parents

In his letter, Mr Hinds makes a nod to parents and their fundamental role:  ‘Parents and carers are the primary educators of their children, and it is right that they are involved in developing how schools deliver relationships education.’

Indeed, the Bible says, regarding the ways of the Lord:

Deut 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

There were teachers in Bible times.  Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul still makes clear teaching their children is down to parents:

Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

But Mr Hinds says after schools have ‘consulted’ parents they can do what they want. ‘We trust school leaders and teachers to make the right professional choices and act reasonably when considering consultation feedback,’ he says

British Values

Three times in his letter, Damian Hinds uses coded language for softening up children with LGBT ideas.  The code is couched in terms firstly of children ‘understanding’ ‘the world around them’.  Secondly they should be ‘prepared’ for adult life in modern Britain. This code is becoming popular in education circles. Amanda Spielman, chief of Ofsted employs it as well. In connection with home schooling, the BBC reports her speaking about children ‘receiving an education that prepares them for adult life’.:

For Damian Hinds, it goes like this:

‘… want all children to leave school prepared for life in modern, diverse Britain.’

‘A core part of preparing children for life in modern Britain is ensuring they understand the world in which they are growing up.’

‘… contribute to children’s understanding of the world around them and foster their respect of people who seem different from them.’

Moreover, his letter even boasts about requiring schools to teach ‘British values’ in 2014. These, in case you had forgotten, are not the Ten Commandments. They are: ‘democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.’

Naturally, if there is a conflict between religious faith and LGBT belief, LGBT wins.

Parental Rights

Parents rights are set out in the First protocol to the Human Rights Act.

This says: Protocol 1, Article 2: Right to education
‘No person shall be denied a right to an education. In the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation to education and to teaching, the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions.’

Human rights group Liberty says:
‘When it first agreed to be bound by this Article the UK entered a reservation to it to say that it accepts the need to respect parents’ religious and philosophical convictions but that it would do so only so far as it is compatible with providing efficient instruction and training and unreasonable public expenditure was avoided.’  So the UK made no reservations about making RSE parent-compliant.

Another Human Rights website claims:  ‘Although parents have a right to ensure their religious or philosophical beliefs are respected during their children’s education, this is not an absolute right. As long as these beliefs are properly considered, an education authority can depart from them provided there are good reasons and it is done objectively, critically and caters for a diversity of beliefs and world views.’

However, they give no case law supporting that position.  According to one blog, none of the case law appears to have addressed the point of schools trying to indoctrinate pupils with views and beliefs contrary to those of their parents.

Parents must protest

Parents can of course go to the High Court and seek judicial review on the matter. However, that will take years and cost money.  Furthermore, there is no guarantee of success in the present climate.

Try something in Parliament? We were pleased to see the launch of ‘Parent Power’ in Westminster, but the House of Commons passed the new RSE Guidelines overwhelmingly in Parliament last month. 538 MPs voted in favour of them. Only twenty-one voted against. One of them, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, helped launch Parent Power. The Guidelines have yet to be approved in the House of Lords, but it’s a formality.

So protests outside school gates and keeping children off school seem to be the only course of action.
Above all, it is important for Christian parents to start to become aware of the challenge from RSE. This author will happily address a meeting in your church on the topic.

Neh 4:14 … Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. 

We’ll really appreciate your support
Click below to join Christian Voice and stand up for the King of kings

Click on the social media links below to share this post: