Mum takes on Government over daughters’ education

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Clare Page is an ordinary mum who finds herself single-handedly taking on the State in defence of her daughters’ education. 

Clare noticed that her daughters’ schools were teaching controversial ideologies around sex, gender and race as if they were facts. But, she tells me, the questions she was asking “were unanswerable by the school because of what’s happened at [the] Government level”.

Clare first noticed a change in 2017 when pupils at her daughters’ primary school were being taught to address each other as “they” if pronouns weren’t given. The school was a test site for the Government’s recently implemented Relationships and Sexual Education curriculum. Then, over lockdown, her children were asked to produce “social justice” materials that Clare considered “breached safeguarding” standards.

Her daughter was taught in secondary school that “we live in a heteronormative world” which is a “really bad thing” and must be countered by becoming “sex-positive”. The school refused to send Clare the lesson plans and materials because the copyright belonged to an external organisation. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) sided with the school, confirming that she would have to attend in person to see what her child was being taught.

Clare tells me that children were referred to the external organisation’s website, which, she says, contained sexually explicit learning materials, and encouraged underage children to use explicit sexualised terminology on social media. “These are known areas” for children to come into contact with “abuse”, she says.

Clare is now challenging the ICO’s decision at Tribunal on behalf of all parents. She would like to see political intervention to make it impossible for schools to withhold materials from parents.

Ask your schools “for full transparency” Clare advises. Request lesson plans, materials, and the names of any external providers used. Then be prepared, she says, to make constructive, respectful complaints.

It’s important for child safety and for democracy, Clare concludes, that we all now get involved. You can follow Clare on Twitter @NoSecretLessons.

C4M believes all children should be taught that growing up with your married biological mum and dad leads to the best outcomes for children, adults and society in general. While other relationship types exist, it is very clear at the population level that nothing comes close to the benefits of real marriage.