UK's Altrincham Grammar School for Girls bans calling pupils 'girls'

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,929
142
106

A Trafford girls’ school has banned pupils from being called ‘girls’.

Altrincham Grammar School for Girls , one the best schools in the country, says from now on staff and pupils will use ‘gender neutral’ language.


In a letter to parents, principal Stephanie Gill said the term ‘girls’ will be no longer be used when addressing students to break ‘ingrained habits in the way pupils are spoken to and spoken about’.

Ms Gill said using the term could result in transgender pupils being ‘misgendered’.

When asked by the Manchester Evening News what prompted the move, a spokesperson said: "It was in response to training, and the school’s understanding of the challenges facing students who are questioning their gender identity, or do not identify as girls."

Pupils are now likely to be addressed as ‘students’ instead.

It is understood the 1,350-pupil school has no plans to drop the term ‘girls’ from its name.

At first I had to check my calendar to see if it was April's Fools Day, nope. They have Girls in the name of the school but have banned the word girls from language at the school to more inclusive to trans. When does this insanity end and when is it taking it too far?
 
  • Like
Reactions: pcgeek11

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,049
12,720
136



At first I had to check my calendar to see if it was April's Fools Day, nope. They have Girls in the name of the school but have banned the word girls from language at the school to more inclusive to trans. When does this insanity end and when is it taking it too far?
Are sowing more division and controversy I see... gotta keep taj and geek riled up.
I think its great cause it shows everyone just where you guys are at. See you.
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,929
142
106
Are sowing more division and controversy I see... gotta keep taj and geek riled up.
I think its great cause it shows everyone just where you guys are at. See you.
So it's ok to compel basic gender nouns in speech that have been used for over a thousand years?
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,929
142
106
Taliban? Is that you? Got your acid ready?
I guess you are for compelled speech. Will never, ever happen in the bigly United States of America. At least not in my lifetime assuming the victim is willing to sue.
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
21,279
4,406
136
Why is it always assumed someone is "butt hurt" for pointing at something stupid like this rule change. Esp. when the word girls is in the name of the school.

I personally don't care if they want to call them Ringtail Cats. That would also be stupid.
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,415
14,303
136
So it's ok to compel basic gender nouns in speech that have been used for over a thousand years?
There is no need for the govt to compel what is or is not socially acceptable speech. Nor do (or should) the social consequences of socially unacceptable speech have anything to do with govt.
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,929
142
106
There is no need for the govt to compel what is or is not socially acceptable speech. Nor do (or should) the social consequences of socially unacceptable speech have anything to do with govt.
I agree the government shouldn't be getting involved in speech. The problem is Leftist countries have already codified compelled speech (Canada) or censored speech using its cousin, the subjective "hate speech" classification (Germany) (aka we will silence anything we disagree with whether it's legally ok or not).
 

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,049
12,720
136
Why is it always assumed someone is "butt hurt" for pointing at something stupid like this rule change. Esp. when the word girls is in the name of the school.

I personally don't care if they want to call them Ringtail Cats. That would also be stupid.
Cause its always the same concern squad. You. Fixating on these things deduces that your butt hurt. Bigly.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: pcgeek11

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
12,975
7,892
136
Looks like a pretty posh school, for a state school. Seems to have a history of having 'woke' students who write articles for the Guardian and such-like. I think they will survive some PC language rules. I bet it has an more-middle-class-than-average intake.

In truth it brings up my never-ending resentments against such posh schools (having gone to a well-below-bog-standard comprehensive myself). Apparently it has 'reach out' schemes to benignantly help the poor badly-peforming schools nearby - which somehow just makes me resent it even more!

Disappointed to find it's not actually a private school, which would let me indulge my resentment to the max. But these days, thanks to the Tories, they are all 'academies' with freedom to do whatever their management want (same as the US 'charter schools' I guess?). It's a system that is producing a whole new class of oligarchs, in my opinion. With state money but essentially privately-run.

Some PC language policy is really the least of the issues with the education system.
 

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
12,975
7,892
136
In my day the school was grateful if any student actually deigned to turn up for classes, and didn't try and set fire to the place, never mind what gender-related-terms they used.
 

dank69

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
35,206
28,225
136
I agree the government shouldn't be getting involved in speech. The problem is Leftist countries have already codified compelled speech (Canada) or censored speech using its cousin, the subjective "hate speech" classification (Germany) (aka we will silence anything we disagree with whether it's legally ok or not).
We have laws limiting hate speech right here in the US. Limiting hate speech is not the same as compelling speech. And the idea that Canada compels speech is false, a common misunderstanding, exacerbated by a supposedly smart guy (Peterson) being really stupid, and unfortunately popular with people desperately seeking the next thing to fuel their outrage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Meghan54

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
12,975
7,892
136
At a private school? Yes. Is this a private school?

It's not private, but I suspect it's the sort of state-school that liberal posh types send their children to so they can feel good about still being in the state-sector while still passing on their class privileges. I suspect it's selective (either because it is literally one of the remaining grammar schools as the name suggests, or because it's just very in-demand as a 'good' state school) so their sprogs won't have to mix with the lower orders. That's just my embittered cynicism, though. And these days the whole state system has become semi-privatised and balkanised thanks to 'academies', I supsect equality in education is a lost cause.

Apart from being slightly cynical about it being the sort of thing well-heeled liberals do because they don't have more serious things to worry about, I really don't see why anyone should care about such speech codes. I guess the intentions behind it are benevolent.

Yeah, it seems it is a literal grammar school, i.e. selective, so it's very likely that its intake is disproportionately middle-class and affluent.

I feel like it's a bit hypocritical to be PC about gender but send your children to a selective grammar school (i.e. participating in a kind of socio-economic apartheid), to be honest.
 
Last edited:

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
Oh.

At first I thought this was a "girl/woman/lady/female thing".
Now I see its a "tranny/shemale/chickswithdicks/slutswithnuts" thing.

Fun.
 
Nov 29, 2006
15,601
4,051
136
Does seem a bit silly regardless of political ideology. Especially if they wont change the school name to match.
School: "Were so concerned about the students feels were going to call them students now instead of girls"
People: "Shouldn't you change the name of the school to reflect this change, and drop 'girl' from your name?"
School: "*chuckles* Oh we don't care that much"
 
Last edited:

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
12,975
7,892
136
Does seem a bit silly regardless of political ideology. Especially if they wont change the school name to match.
School: "Were so concerned about the students feels were going to call them students now instead of girls"
People: "Shouldn't you change the name of the school to reflect this change, and drop 'girl' from your name?"
School: "*chuckles* Oh we don't care that much"

"Maybe you shouldn't be making use of a system that secures the privileges of the better off, and not send your children to a selective grammar school for the advantages it gets them over more working-class children?"
"Oh, we don't care about _class_ inequality - we benefit from that one, so it's fine"