Education and Social Work’s Existential Battle with Reality

Education Scotland, schools, and the Care Inspectorate are in a hole; so deep they seriously need to stop digging because their future and credibility is at stake. The question is: do they know?

ScotPAG recently wrote the joint report (with Women’s Rights Network Scotland) Gender Identity Ideology in Scottish Schools.

Our findings make it clear that pretty much every Scottish council education service continues to support an affirmative approach towards children who state they are ‘trans’. By using the FOI process, our report was able to show that, of the Scottish education services which responded to our FOI request, 100% used the Scottish Government guidance, Supporting transgender pupils in schools. Ergo, Scottish education services support:

• the concept of children’s self-identification to the opposite sex

• the use of pronouns

• children changing their name to that of the opposite sex

• in some cases, the exclusion of parents from decision making.

There were confused and confusing responses from council education services regarding gender neutral toilets and changing rooms, and no data whatsoever is being kept regarding this ideological initiative perpetrated by the Scottish Government alongside activists.

And in case readers missed it; just before Christmas 2024, the Scottish Government sneaked out its guidance, LGBT Inclusive Education .

This guidance stated that gender identity ideology should be embedded across the education curriculum in all subjects. Were parents consulted about this? Is the general populace aware that children are at risk of being indoctrinated by a contested ideology? And if so what would they think about this?

Just in time for the start of the new 2026 - 27 session, Education Scotland, has published, Building Scotland’s Curriculum: a draft resource for discussion and further co-design.

This document states as a policy commitment that, 'The National Approach to LGBT-Inclusive Education and Gender Equality in Education Taskforce support an inclusive, decolonized and diverse curriculum.’

Coupled with the recently published Care Inspectorate guidance which perversely incentivises vulnerable children in care to believe that they are ‘trans’, it is clear that children’s services for education and social work services in Scotland are corrupted with a contested and counterfactual ideology for which there is no evidence whatsoever. Gender identity ideology has a clear track record of causing harm:

• to vulnerable children in care (see www.ebswa.org)

• to children in schools (see ScotPAG blog)

• to Scottish families

• to organisational cultures and staff.

We are witnessing a massive failure of leadership from all those in positions of influence, authority, and power. The Scottish Government, Education Scotland, and council managers, all bear a responsibility for the harms already being caused; either for their lack of curiosity and lack of rigour, or for their ignorance and silence.

A day of reckoning approaches.

Carolyn Brown ScotPAG Convenor