The Church of England (CofE) has refused to intervene after a parent complained of LGBTQ indoctrination of children as young as 7 in a CofE school in Norfolk, U.K. Instead, it is deferring to a forthcoming update to the government’s sex education guidelines and to the discretion of local CofE schools in how they teach the mandated government program.

According to the London-based Christian Legal Centre, which is representing the parent, the school the parent’s child attended last year was teaching young children that it’s possible to be “born a boy but feel like a girl,” using terms with primary school children such as “pangender and cisgender” and encouraging them to participate in pretend gay weddings.

The curriculum, part of the government’s required Relationships, Sex and Health Education program (RSHE), uses government guidelines, but the government leaves discretion to schools on how far they take the sex and gender education lessons.

The Reverend Nigel Genders, the Church of England’s chief education officer, responded to the parent’s concerns by stating: “I see that you have taken your concerns to the school, which is entirely the right and appropriate thing to do. The RSHE policy and decisions about the resources used to deliver it are the responsibility of the school in consultation with parents, having due regard to any advice from the Diocesan Board of Education.

“The Church of England Education Office has set out some general principles and guidance to help schools form their policy and practice in this area, particularly in a way that is mindful of the faith perspectives of many of our parents.”

In his response, Genders at no time mentions Biblical standards in CofE school curriculum, but he does refer to forthcoming updated guidance following a government investigation into the U.K’s required RSHE curriculum. That government’s own investigation stemmed from Conservative Party leaders upset about a report from the Daily Telegraph that schools were teaching gender identity lessons to young children, and asking students as young as 12 being about their views on anal and oral sex.

Calling the debate over sex education “complex,” Genders further wrote to the parent, “It will be very helpful to have new guidance from the government on how these contested issues are handled within educational settings. We expect this guidance very soon.”

According to Christian Legal Centre, the parent responded by saying: “Mr. Genders is well aware that CofE primary schools in Norfolk and elsewhere are teaching Relationships, Sex and Health Education produced by Educator Solutions, the trading arm of Norfolk County Council, that contains aspects which are wholly age inappropriate, sexually explicit, ideologically influenced, and unsupported by scientific basis. …

“Furthermore, in passing the buck of responsibility entirely to the Headteachers, and waiting on updated guidance from the DfE is totally inadequate. Action is needed now to protect children! Are CofE schools that push this dangerous content CofE in name only?”

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, commented: “The CofE has a uniquely influential position in the lives of children in this country through its network of schools. We know children do best when they understand and are taught that they are made in the image of God and many parents want to send their children to CofE schools because of their Christian foundations that are rooted in Biblical morality. How is it that the CofE education authorities and leadership shy away from contending for that truth and prefer to look to the state for guidance rather than the Bible itself?”

Photograph: Alamy.com