Staff at schools across the UK are reportedly being advised to have students drop the use of Sir and Miss in favour of gender neutral terms.
According to a leaked lecture exclusively reported by The Telegraph, Dr Elly Barnes, the chief executive of the Educate & Celebrate charity, told a webinar for teachers that instead of using gendered terms, children should refer to staff as “teacher” or “headteacher” followed by their surname.
Teachers are also being encouraged to use terms like “head pupil” instead of “head boy”, “headteacher” instead of “headmaster”, and “parent” rather than “mother” or “father”.
During the 90-minute lecture – which was organised by the National Education Union (NEU) and was titled ‘Getting the Language Right for 2022′ – Dr Barnes outlined how schools should be moving towards a “gender free model”.
Dr Barnes also suggested that the options of ‘male’ and ‘female’ should be removed from school application forms too, with a box for gender “left open” instead.
The charity leader told the group that the organisation works with transgender children as young as three years old, and that her ideas were working well in schools where it had already been implemented.
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It’s was advised by Dr Elly Barnes of charity Educate & Celebrate during a 90-minute leaked lecture to the NEU / Credit: Flickr
Dr Barnes – who has received Department of Education (DfE) funding to her charity in the past – says she sees schools as the frontline in changing attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people.
Responses to the lecture, according to The Telegraph, saw one attendee reportedly argue that teachers “do not take offence” to words such as ‘Sir’ or ‘Miss’, claiming that pupils only used them to “get your attention”, while another female teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, also said after the session: “It was propaganda for trans activists and completely against the DfE guidelines, but they were presenting it as fact.
“Teachers will take what this woman says as fact because the training was organised by the NEU and they’re not going to question their union.”
The teacher said that she was particularly upset at the way Educate and Celebrate “disrespected” women and girls in their advice, adding: “They’re trying to erase us by taking away our language, saying we should avoid words like mother, and we’re paying for it essentially.”
The NEU said that while thousands of teenagers are now identifying as non-binary, it will still be investigating as to whether the lecture was consistent with its policies.
Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
The Manc -
16th February 2022 
