A Christmas advert by Tesco, showing a Muslim family celebrating by exchanging presents and cooking Christmas dinner, has divided shoppers. One comment was, ‘Muslims don't believe the truth of Christmas, and Tesco doesn't even have a halal turkey for them’; another, ‘The advert is inclusive and promotes diversity’. Some are crying ‘racism’, but others say, ‘It has nothing to do with racism, it is to do with religion. Christian festivals such as Advent, Christmas, Easter and Whitsun proclaim our nation’s Christian heritage’. See also

A school has written to parents asking for a £1-a-day voluntary contribution to help pay for pens, pencils, books, etc. The Robert Piggott CofE School in Berkshire said national changes to school funding meant they had to request donations to make up the shortfall. The school is in the Maidenhead constituency, which is represented by Mrs May. Many are saying that Theresa May was elected to represent Maidenhead on a manifesto that guaranteed to protect school funding, but she can't keep her promises to her own voters, let alone the rest of the country. Ministers have insisted that more money is being pumped into schools, and recently announced a new funding formula to ensure money is allocated in a fairer way. Education secretary Justine Greening said that an extra £1.3 billion will be found for England's schools from existing budgets. The next Budget is on 22 November. See also:

On 9 November, the Scottish government launched a consultation exercise on proposed amendments to the Gender Recognition Act 2004. The suggested changes include creating a third gender, neither male nor female; allowing children as young as 12 to become transgender through the courts (even without parental consent); and removing the need to provide medical evidence of transgenderism, which will now be self-declared. Thomas Pascoe of the Coalition for Marriage said, ‘These proposals are terrifying. Making it easier to change gender removes all protection against medical manipulation. One academic study found that doctors in Oxfordshire were stopping male paedophiles from transitioning in order to win the confidence of children by appearing to be women. If the law changes, there will be no grounds to prevent abuses like this taking place.’ He said it is an attack on the family when children of 12 can change gender without parental consent; they are too young to understand the long-term effects of the decision. To see the paper go to

Joshua Sutcliffe, a respected Christian maths teacher at an Oxfordshire secondary school, is facing discipline for 'misgendering' a student. On 2 November a complaint was made that Joshua referred to a pupil as a 'girl', rather than the desired ‘boy’. Although born as a girl, the pupil had self-declared as ‘male’. Joshua had not been given any formal instruction on how to refer to the pupil. An investigation began immediately; Joshua was prevented from teaching and forced to spend all his time ‘in isolation’ in the staff room. He is now suspended, pending a further investigation. Joshua said, ‘While “gender is fluid” conflicts sharply with my Christian beliefs, I recognise my responsibility as a teacher and Christian to treat each of my pupils with respect and dignity. I have never looked to impose my convictions on others, I just try to live out the gospel of peace.’