Latest news with #SarahJones
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
My daughter's school wanted her to learn about trans rights. So I kept her at home
Sarah Jones* has a happy, energetic, sporty daughter named Emma. She has just turned nine and loves nothing more than pulling on her football kit and running to the local park, a ball tucked under her arm. If Emma had been born a decade earlier, Jones would have seen this as little more than a carefree phase in her daughter's childhood. Now, she worries someone might suggest Emma was born in the wrong body. 'Emma isn't girly,' says Jones. 'She plays competitive sports and doesn't wear dresses; she's fantastic. But these conversations around gender identity are very harmful to children who don't conform to stereotypical ideas of it. I don't want her to think that just because she doesn't wear pink, she should be a boy.' So when Jones received a letter on Monday afternoon informing her that her daughter's school would be celebrating Schools Diversity Week for the next three days – and that Wednesday would be dedicated entirely to discussions, workshops and a Pride march – she was alarmed. The letter said parents would be welcome to come to the school at Wednesday lunchtime to discuss the events taking place. 'I work full time and was given hardly any notice to come in,' says Jones. 'And what good is a meeting on the day itself?' Launched in 2015 by the LGBT+ young people's charity Just Like Us, Schools Diversity Week has since become a fixture in thousands of schools across the UK. Primary and secondary schools use this time to celebrate the idea that families come in many forms and encourage young people to embrace differences – with the week often culminating in 'Rainbow Friday', when pupils and teachers are encouraged to wear their brightest clothes. This year, Rainbow Friday falls on Friday 27 June. In many communities, the initiative has been embraced as a moment of celebration and inclusivity. Not age-appropriate But when Jones looked through the websites the school had encouraged parents to visit ahead of Diversity Week, she was dismayed to find certain sections focused heavily on trans rights. This included sites like The Proud Trust, which offers a trans inclusion toolkit for schools on its website. Much of it, she says, was not age-appropriate. Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at the Sex Matters campaign group, thinks parents are right to be worried. 'I believe in open-mindedness up to a point, but not so open-minded that your mind falls out,' she says. 'I have two adult sons and one is straight and one is gay and I absolutely support children learning that families come in all shapes and sizes. But one of the worst things you can do to a child is plant the seed of bodily discomfort just a few years before puberty, a time of huge physical and mental change. To tell them these feelings of distress mean you're in the wrong body is downright wicked, and yet schools are doing so all over the country in the name of diversity and inclusion.' Jones – who has already butted heads with the school over trans issues – knows this all too well. During last year's Pride events, her daughter's class read a picture book about a transgender man that included an illustration of a post-mastectomy body. 'I was horrified,' she says. 'The school told me they weren't showing the images, just reading the text, but for me, that wasn't enough.' Scarred by this, Jones decided to keep Emma* and her younger brother at home on Wednesday. 'It's the first time I've kept them off school for a reason other than illness. If I knew the kids were only learning about gay and lesbian rights, I would happily have sent them in, as I don't have an issue with any of that. But I can't take the risk.' Louisa Martin* found herself in a similar situation this week when she decided to keep her sons, aged six and eight, home during their school's Pride celebrations. It was a decision she found personally upsetting, as her brother – with whom she is very close – is gay. 'I won't risk damaging my sons' 'I couldn't be prouder of my brother,' she says. 'It broke my heart keeping the boys home: they know a lot more about gay rights than most of the kids in their class because of their uncle – but I will not expose them to radical gender ideology. It teaches them that if they feel unsettled in their minds, then their bodies have to change. I dread to think what would have happened to my brother if this had existed in his day, and I won't risk damaging my sons.' The irony, of course, is that most activities during Schools Diversity Week are ones that most parents would support. Both women say they would have welcomed the chance for their children to understand why the word 'gay' should never be used as an insult, and to learn that boys and girls don't have to adhere to narrow stereotypes. But when Jones met the school's head of diversity and inclusion – a former form teacher of Emma's – she became convinced she had made the right decision. 'She had pride flags all around her desk and refused to hear me out. I said, 'I don't think you can change sex,' and she just shook her head and said, ' Trans women are women.' She wouldn't budge an inch.' Martin, meanwhile, had to navigate the more personal pain of telling her brother she had withdrawn her boys for this particular week. 'He understood,' she says. 'He was sad, of course. These events should mark how far we've come since our school days in the 1980s. We would both love it to be a happy milestone.' Instead, it has become a reminder of how complex progress can be.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Labour industrial strategy's £275m boost 'backs young people in whole country'
The long-awaited strategy will include a £275million boost to skills training for the one in seven young people out of work and education - backing British talent instead of importing workers from overseas Labour's long-awaited industrial strategy will prove the Government is 'on the side of working people' across the whole country the Industry minister vows ahead of its publication on Monday. The strategy is intended to boost key sectors of the economy for the next decade, with advanced manufacturing, clean energy and defence among the sectors to see increased focus. Today, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds vowed to 'power the industrial strategy by investing in working people' He promised a £275million boost to skills training for the one in seven young people out of work and education - backing British talent instead of importing workers from overseas. And writing for the Sunday Mirror Sarah Jones, the Industry Minister said the strategy would not just focus on London and the south east. 'From Belfast to Barrow, Derby to Dundee, our modern Industrial Strategy will build on the world-leading strengths of our nations and regions to turbocharge investment into our communities, raising wages and living standards for working people,' she wrote. 'We're not just putting a sticking plaster over the cracks of the economy. We're setting out a plan to fix the problems that have plagued us for years.' The training cash will fund the creation of new 'Technical Excellence Colleges' to provide cutting-edge courses in defence and engineering. It's been targeted to address the UK's skills gaps which leave businesses struggling to find people with the talents and skills they need. 'To make Britain the best place in the world to do business, we also need the best workforce in the world with the right skills and expertise to thrive,' Mr Reynolds said. 'Where past governments have watched from the sidelines as British industry has faced under-investment and opportunities have been shipped overseas, this government is leading the way, and our modern Industrial Strategy is a downpayment on a decade of renewal.' The UK's last industrial strategy was in 2017, when the Tories published a four-year plan ending in 2021. We're giving young people a chance to succeed By SARAH JONES, Minister for Industry This government is on the side of working people. And our modern Industrial Strategy, which we will publish tomorrow, will prove that beyond doubt. For the past 14 years, governments have sat on the sidelines watching British industry struggle – no direction, no support and no strategy. Neglecting our world-class industrial sectors and leaving workers in the lurch, while only worsening the gap between rich and poor and extending the north-south divide. Even before we entered Government we have been listening to industry and knew bold action was needed. Working hand in hand with industry and the workforce we will take the action needed to keep jobs and investment on our shores for decades to come. And the UK means the whole of our country: not just London or the Southeast. From Belfast to Barrow, Derby to Dundee, our modern Industrial Strategy will build on the world-leading strengths of our nations and regions to turbocharge investment into our communities, raising wages and living standards for working people. We're not just putting a sticking plaster over the cracks of the economy. We're setting out a plan to fix the problems that have plagued us for years. Currently one in seven young people are unemployed or out of education. We're giving them the chance to succeed by creating thousands of new training opportunities and transforming Britain's skills system, with more than £275 million in new investment to help British workers secure good, well-paid jobs in the industries of tomorrow. This will fund new training, short courses and other education opportunities right across the country in sectors like defence, AI, clean energies and advanced manufacturing. These are sectors where the UK is already world-leading, and which are expected to add £158 billion to our economy by 2035 and create an astounding 1.1 million new, well-paid jobs. Our skills overhaul will also set up new Technical Excellence Colleges across the UK to help train thousands of new skilled workers by 2029, in careers like engineering, programming and IT systems, helping Britain to stay competitive on the global stage. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Tomorrow, our new Strategy will set out how we'll invest billions in our high-growth sectors in every part of the country: creating thousands of secure, well-paid and high-skilled jobs, backed by employment rights fit for a modern economy. The number one mission of this government's Plan for Change is growth, and putting more money in working people's pockets. And that's exactly what our modern Industrial Strategy will do.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Staffordshire pottery sector support 'being looked at urgently'
The government is "urgently" looking at how it can support Staffordshire's pottery industry, the energy secretary has Miliband said the sector was facing "particular challenges" due to global events causing an increase in fossil fuel ceramics firms have collapsed in the wake of rising energy costs, including Stoke-on-Trent-based Royal Stafford and Moorcroft, though the latter has since been bought by the grandson of its a visit to Rocester on Thursday, Miliband told the BBC that ministers were seeking to address some of the issues in the upcoming industrial strategy. "It is something we are urgently looking at," he said. "We do understand some of the challenges the ceramics industry is facing."It's a really important industry, really important for this area and we want to do everything we can to help." The Labour minister put the rising international gas prices down to the "rollercoaster" of recent global events and said it was why his "mission for clean power" was so comments came after Industry Minister Sarah Jones spoke of the importance of the ceramics industry and how the government wanted to support the sector."We know they've been struggling with a number of different challenges and we want to see if we can maintain and support as much as we can," she visit came as the government announced it was expanding sits Warm Home Discount to 2.7m more households, including 270,000 in the West Midlands. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Tahawul Tech
17-06-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
UK to explore ‘clean' air travel
The UK government has announced its intent to back research into zero-emission flying, laser-beam manufacturing and cutting aircraft drag, to help boost the sustainability of the country's aerospace industry. Britain said they would invest the sum total 250 million pounds ($340 million) in green air travel technology. Britain said the funding for research and development projects led by Airbus, Rolls-Royce and a number of smaller companies and academic partnerships, would attract more private investment into the sector and add new jobs. Industry Minister Sarah Jones is due to announce the new funding at the Paris Airshow, backing a number of projects which include the development of infrastructure for testing liquid hydrogen systems, fuel cell systems and developing lightweight materials. The funding announcement came ahead of the government's industrial strategy and which will aim to help grow the country's defence and advanced manufacturing sectors. Jones said supporting the major contractors was 'incredibly important', but the government also wanted to encourage more start-ups in the sector. 'Getting the supply chain of smaller businesses ready is the challenge, and that's what we want to build up in the UK,' she said in an interview. Airbus UK chairman John Harrison said the funding gave the industry the confidence and stability needed to fuel innovation. 'It's initiatives like these that are absolutely critical to accelerating our decarbonisation journey and advancing sustainable, cutting-edge manufacturing,' he said. Source: Reuters Image Credit: Stock Image
CNA
16-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
UK invests $340 million in clean tech for air travel
PARIS :Britain said it would invest 250 million pounds ($340 million) in technology to make air travel greener, backing research into zero-emission flying, laser-beam manufacturing and cutting aircraft drag, to help boost the country's aerospace industry. Britain said the funding for research and development projects led by Airbus, Rolls-Royce and a number of smaller companies and academic partnerships, would attract more private investment into the sector and add new jobs. Industry Minister Sarah Jones is due to announce the new funding at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday, backing a number of projects which include the development of infrastructure for testing liquid hydrogen systems, fuel cell systems and developing lightweight materials. The funding announcement came ahead of the government's industrial strategy, expected to be published later this month, and which will aim to help grow the country's defence and advanced manufacturing sectors. Jones said supporting the major contractors was "incredibly important", but the government also wanted to encourage more start-ups in the sector. "Getting the supply chain of smaller businesses ready is the challenge, and that's what we want to build up in the UK," she said in an interview. Airbus UK chairman John Harrison said the funding gave the industry the confidence and stability needed to fuel innovation. "It's initiatives like these that are absolutely critical to accelerating our decarbonisation journey and advancing sustainable, cutting-edge manufacturing," he said. ($1 = 0.7351 pounds)
