Christian father removes daughter from school over sex ed lessons

Christian father removes his nine-year-old daughter from school after being horrified by what she was being taught in compulsory sex education lessons

By Chris Matthews

Published: 04:31 EDT, 22 July 2023 |

Updated: 05:10 EDT, 22 July 2023

A Christian father was so outraged by his daughter’s sexual education classes he removed her from primary school, MailOnline can reveal.

1. Michael Doherty, 50, from Suffolk, was shocked by what he saw when teachers at Thurston Primary School finally allowed him to see teaching materials intended for his nine-year-old daughter – after weeks of not allowing him access.
2. It follows MailOnline revealing a wealth of questionable and sometimes graphic teaching material made for controversial Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) classes, which became compulsory three years ago.
3. Secretive lesson plans showed schoolchildren are being taught about anal sex and orgasms before they have reached puberty.

Former aircraft engineer Mr Doherty became concerned when the primary school said they would be teaching RSE to his daughter Sophia, nine, who is in Year 4.

When he asked to remove his daughter from the class on religious grounds, he was told he did not have the right to withdraw her ‘because it is important that all children receive this content, covering topics such as friendships and how to stay safe’. 

The school told him they had consulted parents. Yet documents seen by MailOnline reveal the primary school used the Covid pandemic as a reason they could not share specific teacher material with parents.

• A letter sent to Mr Doherty by the headteacher also claimed the school followed the national curriculum for PSHE relationships – however no such national curriculum exists.

Mr Doherty told MailOnline: ‘It’s cutting parents out of the loop. You should be consulting with parents. They just refused to do it. 

‘I feel as a parent they were quite hostile to me. You’re treated like some sort of prude. But I think you need to speak up.’

He objected to his daughter being shown a BBC Bitesize video showing a boy having a wet dream, getting an erection and ejaculating. 

After Mr Doherty complained to the BBC, the video was removed from their website.

His daughter’s RSE teacher denied the video was sexual in nature and told him his daughter’s year group was not taught sex education. 

• The school’s own policy (pictured) says parents have a right to remove their child from sex education – but Sophia’s teachers deemed what they were teaching her not to be sex education

Mr Doherty said: ‘It’s really, really weird what’s going on in schools. Why is my daughter being shown a video of wet dreams? The teacher’s reason was so that when she’s an adult she doesn’t go ”eurgh” when she hears about wet dreams.

‘It’s all very bizarre. It’s oversexualisation of children.’

He said the headmaster, the CEO and the class’s teacher all agreed the video was ‘suitable’ for a nine-year-old to see.

Mr Doherty said the teachers told him that external charity the PSHE Association had provided them with teaching resources for the class.

He said: ‘Children are coming out of schools illiterate and they are doing this stuff. As a parent it just feels wrong. The video is really strange and disgusting. It’s a crealyu creepy and vile video. 

‘I don’t want my child seeing a vile, disgusting video that [is] being pushed into primary schools.

‘I have been vindicated because the BBC took the video off their site.’ 

Mr Doherty also said the school lied to him about when the classes were starting.

• A letter sent to Mr Doherty by the headteacher also claimed the school followed the national curriculum for PSHE relationships – however no such national curriculum exists

After confronting the headmaster, the academy CEO and the RSE teacher, he tried to remove his daughter from the school.

Although he said the school initially refused to allow him to take her out, intervention from the local authority let him do so.

Sophia is now spending the rest of the school year with family in Poland before Mr Doherty and his wife plan to find another primary school in September.

If they can’t find one, they are prepared to homeschool her. 

Since September 2020, Relationships Education has been compulsory in primary schools and RSE mandatory in secondary schools. The change left many teaching staff seeking guidance.

• The teaching of PSHE and RSE was ‘like a sausage factory’ because schools simply pay third parties such as the PSHE Association, which lobbied to make the subject compulsory, to access their content which is then taught to children

He added: ‘School should be a safe place for education.

‘Sadly we cannot trust the judgement of some school leaders.

‘As for other parents, most are sadly ignorant of what is being shown to children in the school

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles.
   • Indicator: Teaching materials and curriculum content that promote sustainable development and address issues of gender equality, human rights, and healthy relationships.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
   • Indicator: Absence of teaching materials or curriculum content that perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes or promote harmful practices.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
   • Indicator: Inclusion of diverse perspectives and experiences in teaching materials and curriculum content.

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Source: dailymail.co.uk

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