Here you can find factsheets and guides for parents and carers. Our legal factsheets summarise current law and government guidance and explain how it relates to schools; our guides look at the resources which some schools are using and highlight areas where they go against government guidance and / or safeguarding best practice.
Contents
FOI Requests to Schools
FOI (Freedom of Information) requests can be a useful way for parents to obtain information relating to PSHE and RSE resources used in schools.
Advice Note on Social Transitioning by Schools
Safe Schools Alliance have produced an Advice Note to support parents and teachers in England and Wales who are concerned that their school is carrying out the social transitioning of children without parental knowledge or consent.
How to Complain to your Child’s School
This step-by-step factsheet tells parents how to raise a complaint to their children’s school. It covers all stages of the process starting with informal complaint. This can be used when parents are concerned that the school is undermining safeguarding.
Parents’ Guide to NSPCC / Childline PSHE and RSE Resources
We have reviewed the guidance provided by the NSPCC and Childline (which is part of the NSPCC) together. Childline provide advice and guidance for children via their website, while the NSPCC supply teaching resources and lesson plans. We have concerns with the content produced by both of these.
Parents’ Guide to Barnardo’s PSHE and RSE Resources
Barnardo’s provide PSHE and RSE resources for use in schools. This guide for parents explains why Barnardo’s resources should not be used.
The Barnardo’s resources are no longer available on the PSHE association website but can be viewed here:
DfE Non-Statutory Guidance on PSHE and RSE Curriculum Planning
A factsheet which highlights the key points relating to the teaching of ‘gender identity’ from the non-statutory guidance issued by the Department for Education in September 2020.
LGBT History Month Schools Resources 2021
This guide looks at the resources provided by Stonewall and The Proud Trust for use by schools and parents during LGBT History Month in February 2021.
Equality Act Protected Characteristics Poster
A free-to-use poster showing the nine protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010.
Parents’ Guide to PSHE and RSE Providers
This guide covers All About Me, Bish, Diversity Role Models, Do… RSE, Educate and Celebrate, Equaliteach, Jigsaw, The Proud Trust, Respect Yourself, Sexplain and Stonewall.
Parents’ Guide to Stonewall’s Home learning packs
This guide covers the home learning packs which were promoted to parents as teaching and learning resources on the Stonewall website during the first lockdown in 2020.
RSE and the Law in England
This factsheet summarises the government statutory guidance on Relationships Education for primary school pupils and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) for secondary school pupils, which must now be implemented by schools from September 2021.
Concerns with Oxfordshire’s Trans Toolkit
This factsheet lists some of the most concerning elements of the ‘Trans Inclusion Toolkit’ which was introduced by Oxfordshire County Council in 2019. Although OCC have withdrawn their Toolkit after a teenage girl was granted leave to take them to a Judicial Review, some councils are continuing to use it.
Equality and Diversity ‘Red Flags’
This popular guide lists ten ‘red flags’ which parents and teachers should look out for when reviewing any school’s policies which deal with the treatment of particular groups of pupils, for example their Equality and Diversity policy, Anti-Bullying policy, or Trans Inclusion policy.
SSAUK Concerns and Aims Summary
This factsheet lists the main concerns which led to the formation of Safe Schools Alliance and sets out our aims.
Single Sex Toilets and Changing Facilities factsheet
This factsheet sets out the law relating to the provision of toilets and changing rooms in schools, and explains why it is important to provide single-sex facilities.
Sexism in Secondary Schools Factsheet
This factsheet summarises the findings of a 2017 study by the National Education Union and UK Feminista about the extent and prevalence of sexism and sexual harassment in UK schools.