The Telegraph- Stonewall raised concerns with Ofsted that inspectors don't always discuss trans issues with children
Stonewall raised concerns with Ofsted that inspectors don't always discuss trans issues with children
Campaigners demanding a public inquiry into how the 'lobby group' secured such an influential position at the heart of Government
Stonewall raised "concern" with Ofsted that inspectors do not always discuss trans issues with primary school children, The Telegraph can reveal.
The LGBT charity questioned an exemption in the school watchdog's guidance allowing inspectors to avoid asking children as young as five about topics such as gender transitioning if a headteacher "reasonably believes" it is sensitive for pupils.
In an email to Ofsted, released under freedom of information laws, Stonewall said: “We are concerned that exempting inspectors from speaking to pupils about certain protected characteristics could undermine their ability to effectively assess a primary school’s compliance with the Equality Act 2010.”
They singled out the need not to discriminate on the basis of gender reassignment, which under equality law is the process of transitioning from one gender to another, warning that inspectors might not be able to spot bullying if pupils were not asked.
The email raised “specific concern” that teachers may not "make pupils aware of the existence of all protected characteristics” in the 2010 Equality Act by the time they leave primary school.
It went on to ask if primary schools would be marked as “requires improvement” or “inadequate” – the lowest grades in Ofsted inspections – if children were not made aware of “specifically, sexual orientation and gender reassignment”.
In their response, Ofsted defended their guidance for inspectors and said staff were alert to homophobic or transphobic bullying.
The revelation comes days after Liz Truss, the equalities minister, urged Whitehall departments to cut ties with the controversial charity’s Diversity Champions Scheme, which sees 250 public bodies pay thousands for equality training that barristers claim “misrepresents” the law.
Ofsted is among a growing number of major employers, including the equalities watchdog, who have quit the programme in recent months.
An investigation by this newspaper on Thursday disclosed how Stonewall has advised organisations to replace the term mother with “parent who has given birth” to boost their ranking on its coveted league table of inclusive employers.
Campaigners are demanding a public inquiry into how the “lobby group” secured such an influential position at the heart of Government.
In the email to Ofsted, seen by The Telegraph, Stonewall’s director of education and youth wrote: “We know that some students who are bullied (for whatever reason) do not disclose this to teachers, so it is difficult to envisage how inspectors could make assessments on whether homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying is prevalent in schools, without being able to speak to pupils about all protected characteristics.”
Ofsted responded by defending its current guidance, including that inspectors “will always be alert to the risk of homophobic or transphobic bullying” and will ask pupils how safe they feel, but would not ask pupils about LGBT relationships in schools where they are not taught.
But schools could be marked as requiring improvement if they do not promote pupils’ understanding of all the protected characteristics, such as sex, disability and race, the watchdog added.
Tracy Shaw, of the parents' and teachers' campaign group the Safe Schools Alliance, said: “Schools should not be working with lobby groups as so we are concerned that Stonewall appears to be lobbying the schools inspector."
Meanwhile, more public bodies have quit Stonewall’s diversity scheme. They include the Post Office, NHS Highland, Swim England, three police forces and several councils.
The Telegraph understands the Government is due to make a decision next week on whether to withdraw Whitehall departments from the scheme.
A Stonewall spokesman said it was “proud to advocate for LGBT-inclusive education” and starting this in primary school “helps all children, especially those from LGBT families, feel included and learn to be accepting from a young age”.
Ofsted said they were no longer a member of the scheme.
A spokesperson said: "Primary schools that are meeting the DfE’s statutory requirements for teaching RSHE, including on the protected characteristics, but are not explicitly teaching about gender reassignment, can still be judged outstanding.
"As set out in our guidance, if a school requests that inspectors do not speak to pupils about a topic that the school reasonably believes is sensitive for its pupils, inspectors will not ask pupils questions about it."
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