LGBT teaching is not required in primary schools

Christian Concern’s Head of Education, Steve Beegoo, comments on LGBT teaching in schools in light of Izzy Montague’s case.

The government has confirmed that LGBT teaching is not required.

People across the United Kingdom have voiced their concerns about age-inappropriate LGBT teaching. The government has responded to a parliamentary petition that has now gained over 200,000 signatures. The clear request from those signing is in response to the aggressively promoted LGBT content which schools are now using. The numbers are so high that a parliamentary debate is now planned.

Remove?

As Izzy Montague’s case highlights, the politically motivated content in many schools and the misinformation being spread by organisations, is leading many across the country to believe that LGBT content is required in all schools. But in the response to the petition to ‘Remove LGBT content from the Relationships Education curriculum’, the government has been forced to confirm that this has never been required in primary schools.

Response

“Primary schools are not required to teach LGBT content but can choose to teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Department for Education has no plans to change its advice to schools on this subject.”

And yet many schools do choose to teach LGBT content to the disturbance of many parents. Why?

Resources

Because the government also states:

“Primary schools are strongly encouraged and enabled, when teaching about different types of family, to include families with same sex parents.”

This means that when LGBT organisations provide resources to schools who wish to be ‘enabled’, they also push more detailed sexuality teaching and gender identity teaching at the same time, as Miriam Cates MP has recently exposed. This can lead to children being ‘encouraged’ into Pride style diversity events, or LGBT History events happening this month.

Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the Headteacher to decide what is taught in the content of the curriculum. Headteachers often pass the buck, saying the local authority, their multi academy trust or their diocese tells them what the content should be. But the responsibility is in the hands of the Headteacher and, under the oversight of governors, they are accountable to fully discuss their Relationships Education with parents, and to develop content accordingly.

Do raise your voice to those who are directly responsible.

Religion

It is noticeable from the map of the locations of most responders, that where there are a high population of those of Islamic faith, there has been a high response rate to the petition. Christians have so often been silent. Yet those of religious faith, and of no faith, have been just as stirred. The government has reaffirmed:

“All schools may teach about faith perspectives. In particular, schools with a religious character may teach the distinctive faith perspective on relationships, and balanced debate may take place about issues that are seen as contentious.”

And yet we are seeing that, enabled by the silence of Christians, Church schools are often the first to uncritically embrace LGBT content, especially as the established church drifts away from blessing biblical truth in its own teaching.

Request

We have given guidance on the right to withdraw your child from the kind of content referenced in the petition. You can and should request this where necessary. We have also given guidance on how where you live in the UK makes a difference to the way you may make your request, including providing a template to help you raise issues with your school.

React

There is still time to add your name and to promote this petition. The more who do, the greater the impact on those in parliament who will be involved in the planned debate.

Here at Christian Concern, we are working with individuals, groups and even nations to stem the promotion of harmful and age-inappropriate ideas to children. Due to our support, in the past few days we have heard of schools withdrawing their plans for LGBT celebrations, and recognising, perhaps for the first time, the level of concern from Christian parents. We need this to increase.

Remember

Please remember our key cases, and to support Christian Concern in all our efforts to support parents and staff who have been bold enough to stand for the truth, and especially those which have become long standing legal cases.

If you are able to donate please do so, that we might increase our capacity to support those on the front line of this debate. Case law will matter.

Finally, may we all remember not just the words of a petition, but the words of the Lord Jesus Christ:

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” Mark 9:42(NKJ)

May we always remember them in our prayers and actions.