Charedi groups appeal to new education chief
CHAREDI ORGANISATIONS have lost no time in lobbying new Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.
Chinuch UK, the campaign group for Strictly Orthodox education, has written to the new minister to request a meeting, while the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations has invited him to visit some of the community’s schools.
Charedi schools have been particularly exercised about requirements for schools to teach LGBT equality.
Mr Williamson — who replaced Damian Hinds in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet — was among MPS who voted overwhelmingly in March to approve the government’s new relationships and sex education policy, which includes
LGBT content. Rabbi Dovid Frand, UOHC president, wrote to Mr Williamson: “Education is a particularly important subject for the Jewish community and you will become aware that we are in advanced discussions on a number of issues that affect our schools.”
He added: “We salute the dedication of successive Conservative Governments to tolerance and respect for all communities, which is at the very heart of British values. We are sure that you will continue to take the needs of our community into account as these discussions continue.”
While the RSE policy comes into effect next year, independent school regulations already require schools to refer to LGBT people as part of equality law. Charedi leaders, however, took comfort in the fact that schools have been given room for manoeuvre in deciding when such topics are “age appropriate”. However, recent Ofsted reports of Charedi schools indicate the inspectorate has its own ideas and will expect schools to start addressing LGBT issues by the first year of secondary school. Ultimately, it is up to the Department for Education to decide how to respond to schools which avoid the subject.
In its revised guidelines for independent schools, the DfE said it would not take enforcement action — such as limiting pupil numbers or even closing schools — where there were only one or two “minor” breaches of independent school regulations.
Whether the DfE will regard avoidance of same-sex relations as “minor” remains to be seen, but Charedi leaders hope for a sympathetic approach.
The whole question of covering LGBT issues in school has become more fraught in recent weeks because of protests mounted outside Birmingham schools, mainly by Muslim parents who object to children learning about families with same-sex parents.
Under the RSE policy, children in primary school should learn about different family set-ups, but not necessarily about those involving same-sex couples.
But not every Charedi school is averse to mentioning LGBT people.
The state-aided Lubavitch Senior Girls School in Hackney, in a recent letter to parents on RSE, said this would “necessarily include LGBT relationships”.
But it went on to explain that, “we will not be promoting LGBT relationships; rather, we will simply make pupils aware of the existence of them”.
We are sure you will take the needs of the community into account’