Christian parents call for change to Church of England school policy

Christian parents who challenged transgender ideology of their kid’s school have written to the Archbishop of Canterbury calling for a change to the Church of England’s educational policy. 

Nigel and Sally Rowe withdrew their children from a Church of England school on the Isle of Wight in 2017 over its affirming policy towards transgender pupils. 

They allege that it was suggested by the college that they and their son, who was six on the time, can be “transphobic” in the event that they didn’t comply with the policy. 

They also allege that the Church of England’s school guidance, “Valuing All God’s Children”, was used against them by the college. 

They appealed to the federal government for help, nevertheless it refused to intervene, prompting the Rowes to take legal motion. They  got permission for a judicial review but the federal government settled with the couple in September 2022 before the case could go to court and agreed to review its guidance. 

The Rowes say they feel “vindicated” after the federal government published its long-awaited draft transgender guidance for schools in December.

The draft document said that schools usually are not obligated to permit children to ‘socially transition’ – a term used for changing names and pronouns. 

The Rowes have written to Archbishop Justin Welby asking that Valuing All God’s Children be withdrawn in light of the federal government’s draft guidance and “as a matter of urgency for the sake of protecting the kids”. 

They have also requested a gathering with Welby. 

“Regardless of what the federal government says, the Church of England must be upholding biblical teaching concerning the differences between men and girls and the scientific indisputable fact that people cannot change their biological sex,” they said.

“Sadly, the Church of England has did not uphold these truths and continues to persist in upholding guidance that directly contradicts biblical truth and is harmful for youngsters.” 

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which has supported the couple for the last seven years said the Church of England had “a possibility to finish the social contagion of harm and confusion in its schools”.

“The CofE’s guidelines must be rooted in biological reality and biblical truth, sadly they usually are not, and subsequently not only lack integrity and credibility, but encourage and permit harm,” she said. 

“A braver approach is now needed by the CofE to finish the influence of transgender ideology within the classroom with clear guidance provided on how gender distressed children may be compassionately supported outside of the training environment.

“In 2017 the Christian Legal Centre and the Rowes were the primary to lift alarm bells over transgender ideology which was capturing schools and the CofE. They were treated shamefully for doing so and have never received an apology.

“Only now has the federal government and wider public woken as much as the danger’s extreme transgender ideology and sex education pose in UK schools. Now it’s time for the CofE to do the identical.”

The Archbishop’s office didn’t reply to a request for comment.