Sexual disorder linked to faith based sex education

Posted: Mon, 14 Feb 2022 09:19

A sexual disorder in women may be linked to religious control of sex education, a study suggests.

An article in the journal Sexual and Relationship Therapy says vaginismus, the condition of being unable to have penetrative sex due to the involuntary tightening of pelvic muscles, could be connected to religious suppression of female sexuality and a lack of accurate sex education.

It says a "strong adherence to conservative values" and "strict moral related standards" were found to play an active role in the defensive reflex of the pelvic muscles.

The study said Ireland had the highest prevalence rates of vaginismus in Europe, which could be attributed to "an active suppression of accurate sex education" through the Catholic dominance of state schools in Ireland.

Ireland's Education Act allows schools to teach relationships and sex education (RSE) in accordance with the school's ethos. Eighty-eight per cent of Ireland's schools are Catholic.

Faith schools in the UK are also permitted to teach RSE according to their ethos. A 2018 study by the National Secular Society found 77% of state funded secondary faith schools in England distort RSE by teaching it through a religious lens. This includes schools that teach sex outside of heterosexual marriage, contraception and abortion are sinful. Similar issues were also found in Scottish and Welsh faith schools.

Dr Maria McEvoy, a psychology lecturer in Waterford Institute of Technology and one of the article's authors, said: "Sex education in Irish schools definitely plays a role because of the church's grip on the curriculum and the government's lack of resources in training sexual health teachers."

The study said Catholicism "has been singled out as being particularly restrictive regarding sexual morality".

There have been recent calls to stop Irish schools from teaching RSE according to religious ideologies.

The study found religious orthodoxy "is synonymous with guilt" around sexual behaviour, which frequently leads to sexual dysfunction.

It said there were high rates of vaginismus in religiously conservative Middle Eastern countries that expect brides to be virgins, restrict premarital sex and hold arranged marriages. Such countries also "prioritise male sexual and marital satisfaction over female pleasure".

It said methods of sexual suppression in conservative religious societies can including "teaching anti-sexual morality and encouraging the passive role of the female in sexual relationships", in addition to "fear messages" to discourage sexual behaviour in women. These methods can all increase the risk of vaginismus.

Religiosity has also been linked to a lack of sexual knowledge, which itself is correlated with vaginismus, the study said. It said education "has been found to empower women with the knowledge and confidence to seek help for sexual problems".

NSS comment

NSS head of policy and research Megan Manson said: "We've long known that impartial and accurate sex education is crucial to help young people keep themselves safe and healthy in relationships as they grow up.

"And now there's evidence that poor, religiously-distorted sex education can directly affect the sexual health of women.

"Our own research has found many Catholic schools in the UK state that reproductive healthcare and sex outside of heterosexual marriage are sinful in their RSE policies. If such messages are leading to women being unable to enjoy a fulfilling sex life, this is extremely worrying and must be challenged.

"All young people, regardless of religious background, have a right to an education that enhances their experiences in adult life rather than diminishing them."

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Wigan to close non-faith school despite lack of secular options

Posted: Thu, 10 Feb 2022 14:57

The National Secular Society has criticised a council's plans to close a community school to keep a Catholic school open.

Wigan Council needs to reduce a surplus of school places by closing either Abram Bryn Gates primary community school or Holy Family Catholic primary school.

The council announced their decision to close Abram Bryn Gates in a report published yesterday on responses to a consultation late last year. The report reveals consultation respondents supporting either school were evenly split. The decision will be subject to a further four weeks of consultation.

In its response to last year's consultation, the NSS argued that closing the community school – in an area where 90% of families already face high or extreme restrictions on the choice of a non-faith school – may be unlawful. The Education Act 1996 places a duty on local authorities to provide schools sufficient in number and character to give all pupils the opportunity of "appropriate education".

The NSS's response additionally highlighted government guidance on the closure of schools which supported their case.

The NSS also organised a local petition to keep Abram Bryn Gates open. Wigan parents who signed the petition include Rachel, who said: "My daughter is currently attending Abram Bryn Gates school and is of no faith and that is how we chose to bring our children up. We do not want any faith forced on her and will not send her to a school of any faith."

Another local parent, Geoff, said: "Please don't take away one the very few remaining options for those of us who wish to avoid our children being indoctrinated with any religion. Our son will be starting primary school in 2023 and our choices are already extremely limited."

The council's response did not address the NSS's arguments. However, they did acknowledge that parents of children at Abram Bryn Gates Primary "have specifically chosen a non-faith school for their child" and that there is "no desire for their children to be taught in a faith-based school".

Their response also acknowledged that there are "no other community non-faith based schools available within the area or within a reasonable distance of where children live that have places available".

The council claims that closing the Catholic primary would mean pupils would not be able to attend the Catholic secondary school, despite acknowledging that the secondary school's religious selection criteria do not depend on the previous school attended.

The council has said that it will be able to make a "reasonable offer of a school place" to children attending Abram Bryn Gates. However, NSS research indicates that the lack of other community schools in the area means the school places are likely to be in faith schools.

Had Holy Family Catholic primary been selected for closure, pupils would have been accommodated at Abram Bryn Gates or offered transportation to the nearest alternative Catholic primary.

NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said: "This is a hugely disappointing and discriminatory decision. The reasoning for the council's decision fails to address the significant legal questions raised. We will continue to work with local supporters to explore all options.

"Catholic education has been prioritised above ensuring secular community schooling is available for families that quite reasonably want it. Such schools are suitable for pupils of all backgrounds. Leaving parents without access to a non-faith based school undermines freedom of religion or belief and is a frankly ridiculous state of affairs.

"This whole mess stems from an outmoded and divisive education system that organises schools around religious identities. Moving to a secular education system where children of all faith and belief backgrounds are educated together and encouraged to develop their own beliefs has to be way forward for publicly funded education in the UK."

Girls at failing faith school not taught ‘consent or respect’ in RSE

Posted: Wed, 9 Feb 2022 13:01

Pupils at an independent faith school are not taught enough about healthy relationships, including consent, inspectors have found.

According to a report published last week, Ofsted inspectors found pupils "do not learn about harmful sexual behaviour, consent and respect" in relationships and sex education (RSE) at Jamia-Al-Hudaa Residential College in Nottingham.

Jamia-Al-Hudaa is a Deobandi Islamic boarding school for girls aged 11-19.

During the inspection late last year, in which the school was rated 'inadequate', inspectors found the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is "poorly planned" with "insufficient time allocated to the subject". Consequently, pupils do not have enough experience to "prepare them for life in modern Britain".

Additionally, pupils "only learn about heterosexual relationships and marriage". Schools are required to promote equality and pupils' understanding of the protected characteristics, including sexual orientation, which are outlined in equality law.

The report also said the curriculum "provides pupils with limited opportunities" and pupils "do not have the opportunity to study creative or artistic subjects".

All sixth form students study an "Islamic science curriculum" and do not have the chance to learn other subjects unless studied in their own free time.

Subjects taught under the "Islamic science curriculum" include the memorisation and interpretation of Islamic texts, Islamic history and Arabic, according to the school's website.

The report said leaders have not taken action to address issues that have been highlighted in previous inspections by Ofsted.

Jamia-Al-Hudaa was previously criticised by inspectors in 2019 for "numerous failings" in relation to safeguarding and systems to support students' wellbeing. In 2015 it was also rated 'inadequate', and inspectors said it did not give pupils sufficient access to books about "different faiths or British history".

NSS Comment

A spokesperson from the National Secular Society's education team said: "It is deeply concerning that this school is failing to teach girls how to keep themselves safe in relationships. All schools must ensure pupils are given the knowledge they need about sex and relationships to protect themselves from exploitation and harm.

"This school has a considerable track record of prioritising religious teachings over the education and wellbeing of pupils. The government must make it clear that this is never acceptable by taking robust action against those that repeatedly do so."

Ofsted slams Islamic schools over safeguarding, curriculum failures

Posted: Thu, 27 Jan 2022 10:02

Two Islamic independent schools have failed to meet school standards, according to recent inspection reports.

An Ofsted report published on Tuesday revealed the Institute of Islamic Education in Dewsbury, rated 'inadequate', failed to recognise an "extremely serious safeguarding concern" that had to be referred to the police.

Another report published on the same day gave Hafs Academy in Stratford a rating of 'requires improvement' for failing to adequately plan what pupils learn outside Islamic studies.

Institute of Islamic Education

Inspectors said the Institute of Islamic Education, a boarding school on the grounds of a mosque for boys and young men aged 11-25, has a "lax attitude towards safeguarding". During the inspection, they identified "a serious and significant safeguarding concern" which school leaders had not identified because they had not linked "readily available" pieces of safeguarding intelligence together.

The inspectors asked the school's leaders to refer this "extremely serious safeguarding concern" to the local authority's children's services and to the police.

Pupils stated that they "did not feel safe in school." Ofsted also found some pupils "struggled to sleep" and that their mental health was "compromised".

Inspectors said some school leaders are "too concerned about the views of parents, rather than prioritising the child's needs".

Weak attendance systems at the school mean pupils can have unauthorised absences for a period of time without leaders taking action. Additionally, there are no records of when phone calls have been made to parents to check why pupils are not attending, the report said.

In July 2021 the school was found to have a book in its library that advocated death for gay people. Previously it has told parents their children faced expulsion if they socialised with non-Muslims and forbidden children from watching TV, listening to music or reading newspapers.

Hafs Academy

Inspectors at Hafs Academy, which is for boys aged seven to 16, found that while school leaders "aim for pupils to excel" in Islamic studies, pupils "feel they are missing out on learning in other subjects".

The report said leaders "do not ensure that what pupils learn outside Islamic studies is planned consistently well".

It found that in years 9 to 11, teachers do not usually extend pupils' knowledge beyond the confines of the examination syllabus. Additionally, pupils do not have the option to choose the GCSE subjects they wish to study.

The report also said leaders do not ensure pupils have enough resources to support their learning. This means pupils do not do any experiments in science, for example.

Additionally, inspectors found leaders "do not fulfil the statutory requirements to provide pupils with a programme of impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance".

NSS Comment

A spokesperson from the National Secular Society's education team said: "In both these schools, the demands of religious communities and the desire to inculcate Islamic teachings appear to have been prioritised over the educational and welfare needs of the pupils.

"It is particularly shocking that inspectors had to instruct the Institute of Islamic Education to refer a serious safeguarding issue to the police.

"This school has a very poor track record of safeguarding and putting children's needs first. All children, from all communities, should be protected in education from potential risk or abuse – this must be prioritised over religious concerns. And schools that consistently refuse to meet basic standards should be closed."

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Jewish school pupils lack understanding of consent, Ofsted finds

Posted: Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:34

Pupils at an independent faith school lack understanding of the law relating to sexual consent and abuse, inspectors have found.

Beis Hatalmud, a Charedi ('strictly orthodox') Jewish school in Salford for boys aged 11-16, was ranked 'inadequate' in its latest Ofsted inspection report, published last week.

During the inspection in November, inspectors found school leaders "had not fully considered some of the statutory elements" of relationships and sex education (RSE) requirements.

For example, pupils "do not understand the law relating to sexual consent, exploitation and abuse", the report said.

Instead, leaders have designed a "separate programme" that individuals can use on request.

The report also said leaders "requested that inspectors did not ask certain questions about relationships and sex education". But this had "no bearing on the outcome of the inspection".

Additionally, pupils are not taught about some of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010.

Schools are required to promote equality and pupils' understanding of the protected characteristics which are outlined in equality law. But many independent Jewish schools fail to do so because they have religious objections to teaching about LGBT+ people.

Jewish counter-extremism group Nahamu has demonstrated how the lack of RSE in Charedi schools means engaged couples may not be ready for sexual relations and may lack knowledge of consent, abuse and rape.

Furthermore, Nahamu also found excluding any reference to LGBT+ people in Charedi schools means LGBT+ people in Charedi communities face hardship and "serious issues of consent" when expected to marry young into a heterosexual marriage.

Migdal Emunah, a charity which supports survivors of sexual abuse and violence in Jewish communities, has recently reported a surge in cases.

Other issues

Inspectors also found that pupils' achievement across all subjects is "limited by a narrow secular curriculum".

The report said English, mathematics and science curricula were "too narrow". Pupils are entered for GCSE examinations in mathematics and physics in year 9 "regardless of their abilities" and because not all the curriculum has been covered, pupils "do not achieve as well as they could".

After year 10 pupils can only study Jewish (Kodesh) studies and English.

Consequently, pupils "are not well prepared for the next stages of their education, employment or training", or for "life in modern Britain".

NSS Comment

A spokesperson from the National Secular Society's education team said: "We welcome Ofsted's decision to downgrade this school, particular in light of the lack of adequate relationships and sex education and poor secular curriculum.

"Too many state-funded and independent Jewish schools fail to offer decent RSE. This is especially alarming when intertwined with the serious issue of forced marriages and abuse in Orthodox Jewish communities. That's why age-appropriate, well-rounded RSE is crucial for the safety of all young people in Britain, across all communities."

Update: An Ofsted report publised on January 27th reveals another independent Jewish school, Wiznitz Cheder School, was rated inadequate for multiple failings inc "poor standard of secular education" and pupils' "extremely limited knowledge about other faiths and cultures". Witznitz Cheder has now failed inspections six times in a row.

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Complaints about sexist dress code at faith school dismissed

Posted: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 11:46

The National Secular Society has questioned a school adjudicator's dismissal of complaints that a faith school's dress code is sexist.

A member of the public complained to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA), which handles objections to school admissions arrangements, that rules on attire in Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls School's admissions arrangements discriminate against women and girls.

Yesodey Hatorah, a state-funded school in Hackney, London, says it "exists to meet the needs of Charedi [strictly Orthodox] Jewish families". Where oversubscribed, its admissions arrangements prioritise pupils who follow "Charedi principles and ethics", which it says requires "mothers and girls" to "dress at all times in accordance with the strictest standards of Tznius (modesty)".

These standards include:

• Dresses and skirts "may not be shorter than 10cm / 4 inches below the knees". "Very straight or figure hugging skirts" are banned, as is a "a slit in a skirt or dress" even if it is "below the knee".
• Blouses, jumpers or dresses "must fit closely to the neck".
• Sleeves "must cover the elbows at all times".
• Make up "should be used in a limited way which does not draw attention to its use and is
• consistent with a modest and natural appearance".

OSA adjudicator Dr Bryan Slater also found that "most of the elements" of the dress requirements "are likely to be relevant only to women".

But he did not uphold the complaint that these rules discriminated on the basis of sex, stating: "It is not uncommon for religions to impose different requirements and women, not only in relation to dress but to roles that may be held as leaders in faith matters or in requirements to take part in public prayer for example".

Dr Slater also rejected complaints that the school's ban on "casual clothing such as denim, leather or lycra" was in breach of School Admissions Code because avoiding wearing these items could be considered "a religious activity which the school may take into account in its admission arrangements".

But he did uphold the complainant's objection that a prohibition on "very brightly coloured clothing" in the admissions arrangements breached the code, which requires the arrangements to be clear and easy to understand. He said it is "not possible to know where the dividing line between 'bright' and 'not bright' would be drawn by all people".

Other issues

The objector complained that requiring a rabbi's signature on Supplementary Information Forms (SIFs) submitted by applicants meant that some applicants were disadvantaged because rabbis were asked to verify statements "they would not have sufficient information on" such as whether or not the family has a television.

Dr Slater required changes to the admissions rules to make clear that rabbis should only consider "what might be termed 'public' practices that can be objectively assessed".

He also objected to the information sought on SIFs that should not have a direct bearing on decisions about the school's oversubscription criteria, such as the name of the family's rabbi and synagogue.

The OSA objected to the school's plan to lower their Published Admission Number (PAN, the number of set as a school's official capacity) from 80 to 65. Artificially low PANs can be used to maintain 100% faith selection, and ensure more applicants are judged according to strict religious oversubscription criteria.

NSS comment

NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said: "Allowing faith based selection of pupils opens the door to wider forms of discrimination, as this case demonstrates.

"Restrictive dress codes that place disproportionate specific burdens on women may constitute unlawful direct discrimination on the grounds of sex. Case law is clear that schools in this context are service providers in relation to parents, as well as carrying out a public function.

"The implication of this determination is that sexist intrusions into the private lives of parents by a state school may be acceptable if they are sufficiently 'precise'.

"Arguments over whether onerous religious demands and expectations of conformity are 'clear' or not are a distraction. The whims of religious gatekeepers who wish to uphold outdated gender roles simply shouldn't have any role in state school admissions."

Notes

• In 2018, the OSA ruled that the same school was not breaching the School Admissions Code by requiring families not to wear leather or lycra, access the internet or use online entertainment.
• Similar rules at another all-girls Jewish faith school were also not found to breach the School Admissions Code in February last year.
• Yesodey Hatorah has been at the centre of several scandals in recent years. In 2013 it censored questions on science exam papers. In 2018 it was revealed it had removed references to homosexuals from a section of a textbook about Nazi policies. And in 2020 it was found to have encouraged parents to exercise their right to opt children out of relationships and sex education.