Battery safety
The issue of battery safety was raised at the BATOD South ToD Talks session. This seemed like a very significant issue for all QToDs which should be raised at a national level through the NEC. Button batteries are a significant health risk if swallowed and child safe battery drawers are issued as standard for small children. However this does not take into account the fact that many older children may have younger family members at home. The BAEA are looking at reviewing guidelines with a HoSS who has also raised this issue, and the Child Accident Prevention Trust have useful guidelines and fact sheets in 17 community languages at https://capt.org.uk/button-battery-safety/
Incel culture
The mass shooting in Plymouth in August 2021 was linked to an individual who referenced the incel movement and also reportedly expressed “deeply misogynistic ideas” (The Guardian, 13th August 2021). This led to government sources suggesting that Gavin Williamson, the then Education Secretary, “expects teachers to be able to tackle the risks from incel culture through the relationships, sex and health education (RHSE) curriculum within schools.”
A discussion about incel culture and misogyny at a BATOD North meeting revealed that some QToDs have had little or no access to training on these issues and we felt it important to raise this at the NEC. Although it is impossible to keep up with all the latest trends on social media, the so-called influencers like Andrew Tate seem to be unlike anything seen before. It has been reported in many schools that there has been a change in the attitudes and behaviour of boys around the ages of 11-16 who are adopting Tate’s alpha- male attitudes and behaviours.
HOPE not hate is providing some important work in this area which has reported highly misogynistic views growing increasingly extreme and close to the far right.
The Leeds for learning website has links to resources to help, including this resource Leeds Prevent Manosphere and Incel Movement.
