SORs in the classroom

Briefing.

From CFNews: The Christian Institute writes : 'The Sexual Orientation Regulations do not apply to the curriculum or to teaching, the High Court has ruled. The wording of the Regulations in Great Britain is identical on this point to the Regulations in Northern Ireland. There is therefore a direct read-across from the recent Belfast judgment which applies to all of the UK. This means that homosexual campaigners cannot insist that the Regulations require the use of pro-homosexual story books in primary schools. Nor can they sue schools over the content of lessons. Some diversity trainers have already quoted the Regulations in an attempt to force teachers to promote homosexuality in the classroom They can no longer do so. Confusion over how the Regulations schools arose because similar regulations covering religious discrimination specifically exempted the curriculum to avoid legal clashes over the religious content of lessons. When the Regulations covering sexual orientation discrimination were published there was no such exemption. Understandably, this led many to infer that the Government intended the Regulations to apply to lessons. Under pressure, a Government minister admitted in the House of Lords that how the curriculum is taught 'is caught by the regulations'. But during the Belfast court case. Government lawyers tried to backpedal on that point. We are therefore delighted that the judge clearly ruled that the Regulations do not apply to the curriculum or to teaching. This ruling applies to all of the UK'.