Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“While exploring some issues relating to the revised RSE curriculum, I was contacted by a teacher who asked me to look into the School Information Management System (SIMS) which operates in schools across the UK. SIMS is a useful tool which contains much legitimate information about pupils such as their attendance record, test scores and medical history. Concerningly, however, a recent update allows a pupil to advise teachers of pronouns which are to be only used in schools. This opens up the possibility of John going off to school and insisting that, without the knowledge of either or both parents, he is referred to as she and called Janine within the school setting.
“Tellingly, this flies in the face of guidance from NHS England which advises schools that “the priorities of parents and carers should be held as central, so that decision-making is collaborative” when it comes to cases where pupils request that this be done behind the back of their parents. It sensibly adds:
“Supporting a social transition without the involvement of parents or carers can create complex difficulties within families and is not recommended. Secrets between parents or carers and their children are problematic and are likely to create further issues in the future.”
“I asked the Department of Education in Northern Ireland what they made of the NHS England guidance and if similar guidance existed in Northern Ireland. I was advised yesterday that all levels of education in Northern Ireland, from pre-school up, are advised by the Education Authority to follow a document entitled “Supporting Transgender Young People”.
“This document advises that when a pupil comes out as transgender to a teacher it should only be discussed with parents with the consent of the young person and that parents should only be involved “where appropriate”. It even suggests that the name a pupil is using in school could be used in front of one parent but not the other!
“This is an outrageous state of affairs which I am sure will appal many parents and I have today written to the head of the Education Authority calling on the EA to withdraw and revise the guidance and to remove, in particular, the capacity for schools to withhold from parents the gender transitioning/selection of their child.
“This is a preposterous situation which is being addressed in England through NHS Guidance to schools and by the Education Minister underscoring the necessity of involving and informing parents. When will the EA do likewise?
“More generally, I question why SIMS, a UK wide system, appears to facilitate the wish of pupils to maintain a duel identity behind their parents’ backs when such is explicitly discouraged both by NHS England and the Education Minister. The ridiculous pronoun selections provided for children in SIMS need to be removed and with them the clandestine concealment from parents.”
Note to editors
Supporting Transgender Young People can be accessed here.