An educator dubbed ‘Britain’s strictest headteacher’ has claimed that children identifying as cats can wear tails and ears in classrooms – but are banned from wearing trainers under school uniform rules.
Katharine Birbalsingh said parents have “no idea just how bad things are in schools”. She warned that adult authority “is long gone” as more pupils are identifying as animals in school.
Her comments were made before a 13-year-old girl was labelled “despicable” by her teacher after she allegedly refused to accept that her classmate “identified” as a cat. The founder of the Michael Community free school in Wembley, London, who has been dubbed the “Tiger Headmistress”, made the comments last month during a speech at national Conservative conference, NatCon.
Read more: ‘Teachers pandering to pupils who ‘identify as cats’ are the REAL crazies’
She told the conference: “Do you know that some kids identify as ‘furries’? Elon Musk is correct – you all have no idea just how bad things are in schools and you ignore the vital and crucial roles schools play in shaping our society’s culture.
“There are kids right now, in some schools, with tails and ears pinned to their heads and bottoms. This isn’t fancy dress, they identify as cats, you see.
“Kids aren’t allowed to wear trainers to school but they are allowed to wear ears and tails because that’s their chosen identity
“That’s how they feel they belong. Adult authority is long gone.”
This comes following a 13-year-old pupil’s opinion that gender is binary was called “despicable” and “very sad” by a teacher.
A secret video, filmed and posted onto social media by a pupil attending Rye College in East Sussex, features an intense debate in which the frustrated teacher told the teenager to have a “proper educational conversation about equality, diversity and inclusion”.
Teachers were warned by Downing Street on Tuesday to avoid vocalising their liberal credentials by preventing “valid discussions” on trans issues and relevant matters.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is believed to have asked the regional director of the Department for Education to go to the school to guarantee that the guidelines are being followed. It is anticipated that the DfE will publish its long-awaited trans guidance for schools over the next few weeks.
Tracy Shaw from the Safe Schools Alliance said: : “The problem is that teachers have a blind spot where anything involving identity comes in, because they are frightened of doing the wrong thing. They think they are being kind by affirming these behaviours, but they are not being kind, because they are likely to be missing all sorts of things that are going on in that child’s life.”
A Rye College spokesman said: “Whilst we are not aware at this stage of any plans for a visit from the Department for Education, we will continue to keep them proactively updated on this situation and would of course support any enquiries they may have.
“We are committed to offering our pupils an inclusive education.
“Teachers endeavour to ensure that pupils’ views are listened to, and encourage them to ask questions and engage in discussion. Teachers also aim to answer questions sensitively and honestly.
“We strive to uphold the highest standards across the school. We are reviewing our processes and working with the relevant individuals to ensure such events do not take place in the future.”
