Primary school bans phrases ‘man up’ and ‘morning, boys and girls’

A headteacher at the helm of a controversial school has sparked a fevered debate today after revealing teachers have been banned from using phrases including, ‘boys and girls.’

Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson from Anderton Park primary in Moseley, Birmingham, has stopped teachers from using terms including, ‘let’s go, guys’, ‘man up’, ‘grow a pair’ and ‘boys and girls’.

Students – who are as young as three – are taught to hold up posters flagging the ‘sexist’ terms and the two pupils who find the best examples are rewarded with certificates at the end of the week. 

But the scheme has sparked a backlash among parents and critics, with broadcaster Nana Akua calling the move ‘absolutely ridiculous’.

She told Good Morning Britain today: ‘I’d be very worried if this woman was teaching my kids. What I think we’re doing here is creating a generation of wallflower kids who are listening for an offence.’

Two years ago Anderton School was at the centre of a furious storm when Muslim parents and children protested against lessons on gay relationships.   

Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson from Anderton Park primary in Moseley, Birmingham (pictured) has stopped teachers from using terms including, ‘let’s go, guys’, ‘man up’, ‘grow a pair’ and ‘boys and girls’

Two years ago, parents staged a series of demonstration against the controversial ‘No Outsiders’ curriculum programme at Anderton Park Primary School

Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, Ms Hewitt-Clarkson said ‘sexist’ language was damaging to children. 

She told the show: ‘Fast forward a little bit to when the children are older just to see why this is so important because it’s a tiny part of a huge jigsaw.

‘We’ve seen in the last year the biggest ever rise in child abuse, in grooming, and if our boys and girls grow up and in school we don’t challenge this sexist language and boys are told, ‘man up’, ‘grow a pair’, ‘don’t cry’, ‘boys don’t cry’ – it’s very damaging for them and abusers later on potentially, or bullies, people they walk past on the way home from school – will also use this fear. 

‘And fear is the biggest weapon that abusers have and if boys are told, ‘boys aren’t afraid’, ‘boys don’t get scared’, ‘boys don’t talk about their feelings’, then where are they going to go when they are afraid and they are frightened?’

But the revelation sparked a heated debate on social media, with one parent tweeting: ‘I’d quite like school to teach my kids to read and write etc. I don’t need them wasting time on banning phrases like ‘morning guys’. 

‘Far too much time and energy wasted on ridiculous things.’

And broadcaster Nana Akua claimed the move was ‘absolutely ridiculous’.

She told the show: ‘To be honest, I’d be very worried if this woman was teaching my kids.

‘What I think we’re doing here is dissecting language in the most clinical form and then creating a generation of wallflower kids who are listening for an offence. 

The scheme has sparked a backlash among parents and critics and a heated debate on social media

‘I go to schools and I lecture in schools and I talk to the kids – can you imagine if I went to her school and said, ‘good morning guys’?

‘It is getting to the point where we are losing a grip here. We need to be looking at the context of language and that’s what I’ll be teaching my children. 

‘To say ‘good morning guys’ if you’re actually seriously picking that apart then I feel that perhaps your energy is in the wrong place. 

‘Really we should be teaching kids the context of language and how to use language that is non offensive. 

If you take something out of a context and dissect all the bits and pieces you will find yourself in a black hole so let’s take the word ‘mankind’ – does she allow that?’ 

Two years ago, parents staged a series of demonstration against the controversial ‘No Outsiders’ curriculum programme at Anderton Park Primary School.

The aim of the No Outsiders program was teach students about the positive values of diversity, tolerance and acceptance, as well as LGBT rights, same-sex relationships, gender identity, race, religion and colour. 

More than 80 per cent of the pupils at Anderton primary are Muslim. 

They handed out leaflets that declared ‘We DO NOT believe in homosexuality. Parents do NOT want their children’s belief changed.’

Others read, ‘This programme promotes a whole-school gay ethos’ and ‘You can’t be gay and Muslim’.