I ESCAPED the teaching profession twice. The first time was in 2006, frustrated as I was at the limitations of the national curriculum, geared towards making all children ‘academic’, rather than focusing upon valuable life skills.
The second escape was in 2020, having returned for a few years as a supply teacher (unable at that point to work full time), and I decided that I did not want to be complicit in the fearmongering and mask-wearing pushed by schools during the covid debacle.
On Saturday, February 22, being still interested in matters educational, I attended the first annual conference of Public Child Protection Wales. This is the grassroots organisation that led the 2022 High Court challenge against the Welsh Government’s RSE (Relationships and Sexuality Education) curriculum.
Led by the indefatigable Kim Isherwood, the campaign is in its fifth year. PCP Wales has launched campaigns against age-inappropriate content, a lack of transparency surrounding teaching resources and unregulated organisations delivering curriculum content. Parents are told that they are prevented from withdrawing their children from such lessons.
I wanted to learn more about the origins of this pushback and was not disappointed. The event was very well organised, with an impressive list of speakers – and a tremendous lunch!
Although RSE is its name in Wales and England, it is known by different titles in different countries, e.g. RSHP (Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood) in Scotland. It has its roots in this World Health Organisation technical guidance document, entitled Comprehensive Sexuality Education.
In her opening presentation Kim Isherwood, a trained criminologist, asserted that CSE is based upon three theories:
- The principle that children are sexual beings from birth; a subject researched by controversial sexologist Alfred Kinsey.
- Gender Theory – the controversial debate about how many genders there are.
- Queer Theory – the study of gender and sexuality identities.
This is a conclusion that Ms Isherwood has arrived at following extensive research into the WHO’s equally extensive documentation. Kim says that Dr John Bancroft’s work is referenced in the WHO’s document. Bancroft is a sexologist who was former director of the Kinsey Institute for Sex, Gender and Reproduction. Curiously, his Wikipedia page states that he was a practitioner of electroshock conversion therapy, the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation.
The first guest speaker of the day was former software engineer Nigel Thorne, who spoke gently and eloquently about how Welsh Government are frequently changing definitions of words and are dangerously disconnected from our Christian cultural heritage. He believes that ‘Wokeism is the antithesis of Christianity’ and that we are living in an era where everything is seen through the lens of power and oppression, e.g. white privilege. ‘Queering the adult/child binary – where will that lead?’ he asked rhetorically, asserting that we must resolve conflict through dialogue.
Next up to speak was a member of the Showmen community Rebecca Manning, whose group 2 Much 2 Young: UK Parents Against RSE in Schools can be found here. Rebecca had never been a political person previously, she explained, but began to campaign when her daughter brought ‘inappropriate’ RSE homework from school. She spoke of the ‘palatable top layer of the curriculum’ and the need to ‘scratch below the surface’, adding that ‘we like our children to remain children for as long as possible’.
Next was Dr Lisa Nolland, a sex historian, who gave an eye-opening presentation involving real examples of inappropriate topics and resources that have been covered and used in schools, e.g. anal sex, bestiality and sex toys. She quoted Miriam Grossman MD, who said, ‘Our kids are being taught they can play with fire, while the offices of doctors and therapists are filled with those who have been burned, inside and out’.
Lisa was followed by Azhar Mahmood, an Edgbaston activist who has been fighting against RSE, stressing the importance of unity; in his community, white, Sikh and Muslim parents all came together to challenge.
The conference was shown a discussion between Dr Anna Loutfi (who was meant to appear to speak in person) and campaigner Clare Page, who is on a mission to bring transparency to the classroom. You can support her campaign here.
Paul Diamond, the independent barrister who specialises in religious liberty and advocated in the High Court for PCP Wales, also addressed the conference. He asserted that the Human Rights Act has had a very corrosive effect upon our liberties and praised Kim for her fearless stance, adding that ‘we have a bullying government; governments are always scared of people who make a stand’. Diamond argues the crucial point that neutrality and impartiality are impossible to enforce in sexual education.
The afternoon session featured interviews with mothers challenging the system. Chelsi Downes has become the first parent in the UK to succeed in withdrawing her mentally disabled son (Chelsi’s words) from RSE lessons. Margaret Allen successfully fought a court order requiring her daughter to undergo a full mastectomy, explained here.
Dr Liz Evans, member of HART (Health Advisory & Recovery Team), appeared in a specially prepared video on what she termed the ‘State power grab from parents’, the increasing medicalisation of schools. She questioned the ethics of vaccination in schools where confidentiality is compromised and parents are sidelined.
Dr Evans referred to ‘vaccine propaganda’ in the curriculum, widely available teaching resources and ‘powerful corporate propaganda’ surrounding vaccines. She highlighted an NHS vaccine ‘superhero’ poster aimed at young children and the recent fine of £44k imposed upon Moderna for luring children into jab trials with teddy bears.
The event drew to a close with some thought-provoking input from Kim’s fellow accomplished colleagues and several short video clips of other mothers and whistleblowers, from Australia to Canada, who are leading the pushback in their countries.
It was a superbly varied and informative event. PCP Wales and their guest speakers are no ‘conspiracy theorists’, neither are they transphobes, homophobes nor any other word ending in ‘phobe’ that you might concoct. They are parents, grandparents and professionals in their field who rightly feel the need to challenge this insidious state overreach.
As the ‘People’s barrister’ Paul Diamond rightly concluded, ‘The consensus of right and wrong is disappearing and what’s at stake is not just RSE. They’re going to teach you whatever they want.’
