Facebook is accused of helping to ‘brainwash’ children as young as five with maths lessons that teach pupils to use ‘correct’ pronouns for ‘non-binary’ people
- The social media giant is main sponsor of School Diversity Week
- Campaign is endorsed by Gavin Williamson’s Department for Education and adopted by hundreds of head teachers
- Lesson packs for Key Stage 1 pupils aged five to seven tell children that people have a ‘gender identity’ that may not match their sex at birth
Facebook has been accused of helping to ‘brainwash’ children as young as five with maths lessons that teach pupils to use the ‘correct’ pronouns for ‘non-binary’ people.
The social media giant is the main sponsor of School Diversity Week, a campaign endorsed by Gavin Williamson’s Department for Education and adopted by hundreds of head teachers.
Lesson packs for Key Stage 1 pupils aged five to seven tell children that people have a ‘gender identity’ that may not match their sex at birth, and that some people feel like they are neither male nor female.
Facebook has been accused of helping to ‘brainwash’ children as young as five with maths lessons that teach pupils to use the ‘correct’ pronouns for ‘non-binary’ people. Above, a maths question included in the Just Like Us lessons pack
The packs include lessons which appear to give more importance to the use of pronouns than sums.
One question says: ‘Harley, (a non-binary and gender-non-conforming person using they/them pronouns) has volunteered to give bottles of water to runners of a Marathon [sic]. They have 15 bottles of water but there are a total of 25 runners in the marathon. How many more bottles of water does Harley need to buy?’
In accompanying notes, teachers are told: ‘Explain that Harley does not like to be referred to as he/she or him/her so when we describe Harley we use they/them.’
The lesson plan adds: ‘If any children ask why, then you could explain “Harley doesn’t feel like a boy or a girl, so by using they/them pronouns they don’t have to feel they are either”. Ask the children to discuss with their partner.’
The social media giant is the main sponsor of School Diversity Week, a campaign endorsed by Gavin Williamson’s Department for Education and adopted by hundreds of head teachers
The campaign pack also tells teachers to give Key Stage 1 children the following definition of ‘transgender’: ‘When a person is born they are assigned a gender. For a transgender person the gender they have been assigned does not match how they feel inside.
‘So someone who is told they are a boy feels like they are a girl, or someone who is told they are a girl, feels like they are a boy.’
Another maths problem reads: ‘Jas (a gender non-conforming person using she/her pronouns) is making an apple pie for their friends and family…’ before going on to pose a question about the number of apples required to make the pie.
The teaching materials were produced by Just Like Us, a charity whose director of education is Emma Fay, a self-described ‘queer’ charity worker.
Despite growing concern in Conservative circles about trans activists’ influence in the public sector, the Department for Education has publicly backed the Just Like Us campaign, tweeting an endorsement and encouraging schools to take part.
The materials were revealed by the Safe Schools Alliance, a group of parents and teachers worried about trans activism in education. The group has written to Mr Williamson (above) about their concerns
‘We’re proud to support Just Like Us #SchoolDiversityWeek,’ the department said on Twitter.
The campaign was also endorsed by senior Labour MPs including Lucy Powell, the shadow housing minister, and Diane Abbott.
Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, also tweeted his support.
In a video message, Nick Baughan, a Facebook executive, said that the firm was proud to support the campaign.
The social media company has promoted multiple gender identities to its users worldwide, offering as many as 71 different genders for user profiles.
The materials were revealed by the Safe Schools Alliance, a group of parents and teachers worried about trans activism in education. The group has written to Mr Williamson about their concerns.
Tanya Carter, a spokeswoman for the alliance, described the materials as ‘political indoctrination’.
She said: ‘There is nothing ‘diverse’ about Just Like Us UK’s resources for School Diversity Week. All the materials are riddled with an obsession with pronouns.
‘This is not inclusion. This is indoctrination into a contentious political viewpoint.’
Baroness Foster, a Conservative peer, described the materials as ‘brainwashing to the nth degree,’ adding: ‘This is just appalling.’
A spokesman for Facebook said: ‘Our employee Pride group in the UK is pleased to be supporting School Diversity Week again this year – an important initiative which thousands of schools across the country are taking part in.’
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