‘Are you pansexual?’: Parents quizzed on their sexual orientation and ‘gender identity’ by private school

An independent school in Scotland has asked parents intrusive questions about their sexual orientation and ‘gender identity’.

Fettes College, which admits children between seven and 18-years-old, sent an anonymous survey to parents as part of a school programme by Inclusion Labs to address ‘inclusion’. The survey was optional, but once started no questions could be left unanswered.

Parents were asked whether they claimed to be a “boy/man, girl/woman, non-binary, or something else”. They were then asked to choose from a list of eight sexual orientations, including “asexual”, “pansexual” and “don’t define”.

‘Worrying’

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, one mother said: “It is worrying that the school seems to have bought into notions of gender identity and queer theory. Their survey and the false premises behind it are not very inclusive of parents, staff, and pupils who believe that biological sex is a reality.”

She added that Fettes College pays fees to Inclusion Labs, “but I doubt most parents would choose to subsidise this”.

A spokesman for the school defended the survey, claiming: “We are working with Inclusion Labs to ensure we are better informed as we believe this is important for every member of our community.”

Young people

Fettes is an independent school, and so is not under any obligation to question parents in this way. In the state sector, the Scottish Government strongly encourages schools to use questionnaires for children. These have been strongly criticised as being intrusive and inappropriate

Earlier this year, almost a third of local authorities in Scotland refused to roll out the Scottish Government’s controversial survey into the sex lives of young people.

The Government had pushed councils to gather information through its ‘Health and Wellbeing Census’, a survey that asks teens in years S4 to S6 shocking sexual questions, and primary school children intrusive questions about their home life.

In another survey funded by the Welsh Government children as young as 13 were also asked highly intrusive questions about their sexual experiences.