Latest news with #primaryschools
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Schools told to make sex education ‘stage appropriate' as age limit plans axed
Schools in England should ensure relationships and sex education lessons are 'age and stage appropriate', the Government said as it scrapped proposals to impose age limits on certain topics. The Labour Government has recommended that primary schools teach sex education in Year 5 or Year 6, in line with what pupils learn about conception and birth, but it is not compulsory. Primary school teachers may decide to discuss the sharing of naked images or online sexual content if it is affecting their pupils and they know that children have seen pornography, according to the final statutory Government guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools. Proposals to impose strict age limits on topics in the RSHE curriculum, proposed by the previous Conservative government, will not go ahead. Draft guidance, published in May last year under the Conservatives, had suggested sex education should be taught no earlier than Year 5. It had proposed for issues like sexual harassment, revenge porn, upskirting and sexual exploitation and abuse to not be taught before Year 7 (age 11), and for explicit discussion of sexual violence, including rape and sexual assault, to not take place before Year 9 (age 13). The draft guidance also said schools should not teach pupils about the concept of 'gender identity'. The final guidance on RSHE, which has been published a year after a consultation over the draft Conservative guidance closed, has not assigned specific ages to certain RSHE topics. Instead, it said schools should develop the RSHE curriculum to be 'relevant, age and stage appropriate and accessible to pupils in their area'. The Government guidance, published on Tuesday, said pupils should be taught the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment. But on the debate around biological sex and gender reassignment, it told schools to be 'careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact'. It said schools should avoid materials that use cartoons or diagrams that 'oversimplify' the topic, or which 'encourage pupils to question their gender'. The Department for Education (DfE) has said revised guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children is due to be published this summer. In her foreword to the updated RSHE guidance, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'The depth and breadth of views is clear, and there are understandable and legitimate areas of contention. 'Our guiding principles have been that all of the compulsory subject content must be age appropriate and developmentally appropriate. 'It must be taught sensitively and inclusively, with respect to the backgrounds and beliefs of pupils and parents while always with the aim of providing pupils with the knowledge they need of the law.' The guidance said pupils should be given the opportunity to discuss the sexual norms endorsed by so-called 'involuntary celibates' (incels) or online influencers by the end of secondary school. It added that secondary school pupils should be taught about the prevalence of 'deepfakes' and how pornography can portray 'misogynistic' attitudes. The guidance has also advised secondary schools to work closely with mental health professionals to discuss suicide prevention in an age-appropriate way. It added that schools should continue to share RSHE curriculum materials with parents on request. Since September 2020, relationships and sex education has been compulsory in secondary schools in England, while relationships education has been compulsory in primary schools. In March 2023, then-prime minister Rishi Sunak brought forward a review of RSHE guidance for schools after hearing concerns that children were being exposed to 'inappropriate' content. Schools in England will have to follow the statutory RSHE guidance from September 2026. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'We are pleased to see that there are no age 'limits' included in this new guidance. 'Schools already work hard to ensure that teaching is age-appropriate and this approach gives them the vital flexibility to respond to their own community and the needs of pupils in their schools.' But he added: 'NAHT has particular concerns that the inclusion of suicide prevention content has not been accompanied by a commitment from the Government to provide funded training for all teachers to give them both the knowledge and the confidence they need to discuss suicide prevention and self-harm with young people. 'The provision of training is vital before this content becomes statutory and it is unacceptable that the guidance simply says that schools should work with mental health professionals to discuss how this sensitive content should be tackled in the classroom.' Margaret Mulholland, Send and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'We welcome the clarity over biological sex and gender reassignment in the guidance. 'There are strongly held and sometimes polarised views over these issues and it is important to have a clear set of national guidelines to follow. 'We hope soon to see specific guidance on supporting gender questioning children – something for which we have been calling for several years.' She added: 'We also welcome the focus on suicide prevention and pay tribute to campaigners for their work on highlighting this issue and the risks to young people. 'Schools already have a great deal of experience in supporting the wellbeing of pupils – and many have seen a rising number of young people struggling with their mental health in recent years. 'Unfortunately, there is still not enough external support available and we would like to see more work done to ensure that young people can access specialist services in a timely manner.' Laura Mackay, chief executive officer of LGBT+ young people's charity Just Like Us, said: 'Some teachers still struggle to discuss LGBT+ topics with their pupils. So it's good to see the new RSHE guidance strongly encouraging primary schools to teach about diverse families, including same-sex parents. 'However, there are aspects of the new guidance that could make teachers feel even more anxious about what they can do or say to support all LGBT+ young people. 'If schools treat gender identity as something that is taboo, trans and gender diverse young people across the UK will feel further alienated and unsafe at school.'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sats results rise on last year but stay below pre-pandemic levels
The proportion of Year 6 pupils in England who met the expected standard in this year's Sats exams has risen, but it is still below pre-pandemic levels, official statistics show. The Key Stage 2 results showed 62% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined this summer, up from 61% last year. In 2019, 65% of pupils met the standard, according to the provisional Department for Education (DfE) data. In individual subjects, scores were higher than last year. In total, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, up from 74% in 2024. In writing, 72% of pupils met the expected standard, an increase of 0.5 percentage points on last year. In grammar, punctuation and spelling, 73% of pupils met the expected standard, up from 72%. Overall, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in science, up from 81%, and 74% met the expected standard in maths, up from 73%. The DfE said these pupils experienced disruption to their learning during the pandemic, particularly at the end of Year 1 and in Year 2. Attainment in all subjects, other than reading, has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, it added. The figure come after education unions have raised concerns about the statutory tests in primary schools as they fear they are too 'high-pressure'. Currently, pupils in England sit Sats in the summer of Year 6 and these results are often used in holding primary schools to account. Children also take a phonics check in Year 1 and a times table check in Year 4. The interim report of the independent curriculum and assessment review, published in March, concluded that formal assessments are an 'important part' of primary school education. But it said the review will examine how the assessment of writing in Year 6 'can be improved', and it will review concerns about the grammar, punctuation and spelling assessment. The final report of the review, chaired by education expert Professor Becky Francis, is due to be published in the autumn.
The Guardian
26-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Parents, not teachers, can beat child obesity
Once again, primary schools are expected to 'fix' the obesity problem affecting young children (Majority of children will be overweight or obese in nine areas of England by 2035, study shows, 23 June). As a primary teacher and PE specialist, I know that this is largely ineffective. While half an hour or even 45 minutes of vigorous exercise a day sounds like the answer, one has only to observe three things that completely undermine this: how the children travel, what is in their lunch box and what they do when they get home. Many children are driven to school and those who do walk often stop at junk food shops on their way home. I've seen groups of schoolchildren outside the chippy at 4pm and others walking home with a frappuccino-type drink in their hand. As for lunch boxes, it is often a collection of processed snacks, crisps, fizzy drinks and biscuits. No fibre, no protein – not even a sandwich in sight. And when the pupils arrive home, it's often straight on the games console for a couple of hours. The concept of playing outside is alien to some of the children I have taught. The education system is invariably under pressure to address literacy, numeracy, behaviour and social interaction. But children's obesity is not a school issue, it's a cultural challenge that can only really be resolved by parents and the choices they WilkinsonSheffield Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Telegraph
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Softly, softly schools fuel bad behaviour
Teaching assistant Katherine Hall* has witnessed behaviour in primary schools that has shocked her: pupils turning over desks, climbing on furniture, assaulting their peers and hurling equipment across the class. But what disheartens her most is the lack of action to tackle and change such behaviour when it first manifests as lower-level disruption. 'While most children fall into line, some struggle to adjust to the environment. Instead of teaching them how to adapt and exercising teacher authority when necessary, those poorly behaved children learn they will not receive meaningful consequences for unacceptable and anti-social conduct so they never learn to adapt,' she says. 'Little 'situations' keep getting managed and accommodated,' she continues. 'Then eventually, the child explodes and something bad happens and they get suspended and on and on it goes.' The approach – with labels such as 'child-centred', 'trauma-led' or 'restorative' education – relies on prioritising children's feelings. It means that, rather than nipping poor behaviour in the bud as soon as children start school, it becomes ingrained, says the 45-year-old. The end result is disastrous for pupils. As they get further up the school, and the nature of the misdemeanours become more serious, they are being kicked out. Recent data from the Department of Education shows that suspensions and expulsions at state primary schools are soaring – rising from 22,694 in the spring term 2018/19 to 30,831 at the same point in 2023/24. More than half of exclusions are driven by 'persistent disruptive behaviour'. Other shocking categories include use or threat of use of a weapon, physical assault, damage to property, sexual misconduct, bullying, verbal abuse and inappropriate use of IT, social media or online tech. Some 77 primary pupils – that's four to 11-year-olds – were suspended for behaviour related to drugs and alcohol. The factors behind the rise in this troubling behaviour are myriad and complex. Many on the Left blame the impact of poverty – primary pupils on free school meals are four times more likely to be excluded than other pupils. Others point to family breakdowns; the Department for Education figures show that children from groups with higher proportions of households led by a married couple, such as Asian and African families, have lower exclusion rates than their white and Caribbean-heritage classmates. According to the Centre for Social Justice, children suffering from the consequences of family breakdown are 50 per cent more likely to have behavioural difficulties, anxiety or depression, fail at school, and struggle with relationships. At the same time, pupils are more distracted than they have ever been. According to a 2023 Ofcom report, more than half of eight to 11-year-olds across the UK own a mobile phone. Children's concentration levels have fallen off a cliff, reducing their ability to cope with anything requiring effort and focus in class. Few of them are reading books, preferring instead a diet of three-second TikTok clips, warp-speed gaming or even porn, with half of children being exposed to explicit content by the age of 13, according to a study for the Children's Commissioner for England. Then there is the rise of 'gentle parenting'. While definitions vary, this type of parenting focuses on guiding children's behaviour through empathy and rewards rather than discipline, and has been slammed by Katharine Birbalsingh, head teacher of Michaela Community School in London, who argues that a lack of boundaries can be harmful and stunt development. Also in the mix is the seemingly exponential rise in the number of children with special educational needs (SEN). One of the fastest-growing categories is the catch-all of social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). Schools have to make 'reasonable adjustments', such as special 'sensory' areas, headphones to block out noise, time-outs and reduced timetables. Suspension rates among SEN pupils, with or without a formal diagnosis, are significantly higher than average. At the first sign of behavioural issues, school and parents are in hot pursuit of a diagnosis of some kind, spurred on by social media. The new flavour of the month on parenting sites is rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), a term used to describe 'intense emotional reactions to perceived or actual rejection or criticism'. It can manifest as 'emotional dysregulation, low self-esteem and difficulty managing relationships' and is frequently linked to ADHD. It troubles Hall that the approach to children who have 'mislearnt' behaviour is to look for a diagnosis that might take years to secure, if ever, rather than immediately explore how to change the behaviour and train pupils to adapt to more social, formal settings. 'Where I think the line is being blurred is that the misbehaving children are not necessarily SEN,' she says. 'Any child that is running around and refusing to stay put is assumed to need an assessment. Yes, possibly something is going on. But a child's inability to focus and do what they are told is almost immediately filed under the heading of neurodiversity or ADHD. And the behaviour then becomes something that they are deemed not to have any control over.' For Hall, the tragedy is that many of these children will never get 'a formal diagnosis of anything because they don't qualify and will just always be that troublesome child because no-one has set them boundaries'. Indulging bad behaviour Let down as toddlers by parents who struggle to set clear expectations of behaviour or employ effective parenting techniques, some children are then failed by schools which adhere to the principle that 'all behaviour is a form of communication'. The ill-defined concept of 'wellbeing' is superseding the core purpose of education, Hall warns. And in this environment, showing displeasure at a child's behaviour, whether by a stern look, a raised voice or a sanction, is heresy – as is simply telling pupils what to do and expecting them to do it. When bad behaviour is indulged and there are no apparent consequences, other pupils take note. 'Other kids see this as preferential treatment,' says Hall. 'Then everyone thinks that they have a choice: 'if I'm in a good mood I'll stay at this desk, but if I'm bored or annoyed, it doesn't matter if I kick off'. It is actually confusing for children.' At the older end of primary school, behaviour can become violent; while the teacher pretends they are not alarmed and frightened classmates look on. One former teaching assistant from Sussex describes how she was hit, kicked, bitten and sworn at by primary age pupils in the course of her work. She quit when she realised that 'this isn't going to stop'. Matters are made worse, not better, by attempts to teach young children 'emotional literacy' in personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons. 'It is teachers acting as amateur therapists,' says Hall. 'Saying to children 'This is what anger looks like, this is sadness' is not the same as helping them to manage or 'self-regulate' their feelings, but we assume it is. We teach that all feelings are valid but we know that, in fact, our feelings might be unhelpful, wrong, misplaced or fleeting. What we are doing in classrooms is woolly and ill-thought-out.' What you will never hear, adds Hall, is a teacher saying 'let's put aside our feelings and concentrate on learning'. Therapeutic education The UK's largest teaching union, the National Education Union (NEU), advocates for therapeutic education – a holistic approach to learning that addresses not only academic needs but also emotional and social development. At its core is the belief that everyone is, to some extent, shaped or harmed by their childhood – and that what was once considered a treatment for mental health problems can, in fact, be nurturing for all. In an NEU toolkit for teachers, it says that behaviour management should start with asking 'What has happened to you?' rather than 'What have you done?'. This approach, it claims, creates safe learning environments, and addresses the challenges of student mental health. Its influence on government policy is clear. New guidance proposed by the Department for Education advises teachers, when dealing with violent pupils, to pause and consider whether the children have 'experienced adverse life events or past traumas or neglect,' or may have undiagnosed medical conditions, before resorting to restraint or isolation. To preserve the 'dignity' of out-of-control pupils, staff are also encouraged to think twice before intervening 'in front of their peers.' But some in education have concerns about the efficacy of the therapeutic approach. According to David Didau, a former English teacher and the author of What If Everything You Knew About Education Is Wrong?, the aims of therapeutic education appear antithetical to those of academic education. 'Our preoccupation with therapy and wellbeing makes the normal, abnormal and far from teaching resilience, it seems to make us all more fragile and unhealthily aware of our vulnerability,' he writes. 'It teaches us that we're damaged and that we need professional help to undo this damage.' As Tom Bennett, the Government's lead behaviour adviser puts it, the teacher can become 'a children's entertainer to a room full of child Napoleons, terrified of upsetting their child-emperors'. 'Restorative practice feels right; it appeals to our sense that, with enough discussion, everyone will realise they should do the right thing,' he says. 'But I am weary of working with schools that have leaned so hard into restorative practice they fell over, and need to be rebooted because behaviour is so chaotic.' Hall is far from an advocate of the ultra-strict discipline regimes that lead to silent classrooms, but she points out that in unruly lessons, it is often the autistic child who loses out most. Another casualty of staff time spent sitting in sensory tents or kicking a ball with a child who has acted out are the pupils who need extra academic support – often those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teaching assistants who are assigned to police the non-SEN 'problem child' have less time to tutor small groups who need extra input to bring them up to the expected level. 'I don't know what the answer is, but my instinctive feeling is that when schools start pandering and going from a position of 'I'm in charge' to negotiating with pupils, the game is lost,' says Hall. 'Children who push against boundaries and go on low-level power trips need discipline more than others, not less. All the child-centred approach achieves is to reinforce unacceptable behaviour and the irony is that it ends up with those children being kicked out of school.'
Telegraph
20-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Primary school children taught about the 300 flags of Pride
Schoolchildren are being taught about 300 different LGBT pride flags and the sexualities and gender identities behind each of them. Leaflets handed out at primary schools by the charity Swindon and Wiltshire Pride claim there are more flags representing sexuality and gender identity than there are for countries. The material, signposted by the local council on social media, goes into detail about a 'small selection' of 29 varieties. It says: 'While some might think [300] is too many, it's all part of a drive to be more inclusive of the expansive breadth of identity within the community'. Along with the rainbow LGBT Pride flag are a variety of offshoots, from the 'intersex-inclusive Pride flag' to the 'polyamory Pride flag' and even a black and white 'heterosexual flag' for straight people, which it says can include transgender people. The materials make up part of a free annual support guide produced by the charity, which also points to websites providing advice on controversial practices such as wearing a 'binder to reduce apparent size of breasts', the use of cross-sex hormones in under-18s, and information on 'fetish spectrums'. Parents of children at the primary schools told The Telegraph their concerns had been ignored by the local Labour council. The three double-page spreads about Pride flags describe the identity each is meant to represent, what the colours mean and when the flag was created, if known. For example, beneath the pink, purple and green 'trigender Pride flag', the charity explains that 'trigender is a gender identity in which a person switches between or among several genders, including a third gender', which may change depending 'on the individual's mood or environment'. The 'omnisexual' flag explainer says the term refers to someone attracted to all genders and sexualities, and that it was created in 2015, but that the creator 'never explained the exact meaning of the colours'. The polyamory flag, which represents people who engage in multiple romantic and sexual relationships at once, is described as being comprised of 'blue for openness and honesty, magenta for desire, love, and attraction; purple represents a united non-monogamous community. Gold represents the energy and perseverance and the white represents possibility'. One mother, a former teacher, said the guide being given out in primary schools was 'really concerning'. 'Obviously the polyamory one, encouraging children to have multiple sex partners, they shouldn't be sexualising children,' she said. 'In the guide itself, under education, it states it is 'for schools, teachers, and students'. 'A couple of sentences down, for example, it says 'raise awareness of the lesser known identities across the fetish spectrum',' she added, saying that was 'inappropriate'. Among the other Pride flags are 'genderqueer', 'demiboy' and 'demigirl', 'pangender', 'abrosexual' and the 'straight ally flag', which places the rainbow colours in the shape of an 'A' on top of the black and white heterosexual flag. Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at human rights charity Sex Matters, said the flags 'draw children in' and 'suggest that children need to find themselves on the list'. 'They recruit children into the world of sexual orientation and gender identity, which is inappropriate and unnecessary. Encouraging very young children to wonder about their gender or sexual orientation in this reckless way creates safeguarding risks,' she added. 'Some of these flags promote the false belief that a child can be born in the wrong body, which is deeply unsettling for young people. They should be protected from such misguided and harmful ideas, but instead, adult concepts are being pushed at them, disguised as harmless fun.' The controversial material has been the subject of complaints for ignoring the Cass Review, which has resulted in changes to the NHS's treatment of gender-questioning children, but schools have not been bound by the same rules. Despite being published almost a year after Baroness Cass, a paediatrician, published her final recommendations and raised concerns about the use of cross-sex drugs in children, the guide continues to point towards resources promoting them. The guide also includes a page on 'top tips for gender equality in the classroom' with advice on mixing up he/she/they pronouns in books, jumbling up toys so all genders have an equal opportunity' to play with them, and allowing children to change their gender identity in class. 'Be inclusive of a child who identifies as another gender to the one they were assigned at birth,' it says. 'Refer to the child in the gender they prefer. Your modelling of how this child is included and referred to will be paramount to the attitudes of the other children and their families.' It also says: 'Use gender-neutral language when referring to children, e.g. instead of saying 'Choose a boy', say 'Choose a friend'.' Another page has a diagram of the 'genderbread person', a gingerbread figure, which says: 'Gender is one of those things everyone thinks they understand, but most people don't. Gender isn't binary. It's not either/or. In many cases it's both/and. A bit of this, a dash of that,' it reads. Under identity, it tells children that identity 'is how you, in your head, experience and define your gender, based on how much you align (or don't align) with what you understand the options for gender to be.' The mother and former teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed her concerns had been waved away by Jim Robbins, the council's chairman. She said she had also met local MP, Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, who has made enquiries to the council and is awaiting a response. The mother said: 'My question was, why are schools and public health not in line with the Cass Review? How can school policy be so divorced? 'She [Ms Alexander] said I was 'the only person in my constituency that has raised these issues',' the mother said. 'I know there are more, but even if [it was just me], we are talking about child safeguarding, child safety needs to be investigated.' A spokesman for Swindon and Wiltshire Pride said: 'We believe in 'Pride 365': a year-round commitment to celebrating identity, raising awareness, and supporting LGBTQIA+ people in our community. Throughout the year, we engage with a wide range of local events, organisations, and educational settings to build understanding and foster inclusion. 'During this Pride Month, we were invited into a small number of local schools to support their curriculum-led work around diversity and LGBTQIA+ relationships. Our support guide includes helpful information, links to support organisations, and content written for all audiences – it contains no sexual content whatsoever. 'It is disheartening, though sadly not surprising, to face unfounded attacks or misrepresentations of our work. As a visible LGBTQIA+ charity, we know that some individuals may seek to undermine the progress we are making in fostering a more compassionate, inclusive society. 'We remain proud of our mission and grateful to the many people, schools, and communities who continue to stand with us.'
