So much for equality! Top school’s inclusivity drive ‘backfires’ as head girl is replaced with, er, a BOY!

One of Scotland’s top state schools has sparked a furious reaction after its headmaster was replaced by a boy in what was supposed to be an ‘inclusivity’ move.

Williamwood High School eliminated the traditional positions of head boy and head girl and replaced them with two gender-neutral “captains” chosen by other students.

However, this move backfired after both posts were won by male candidates, while none of the four girls who put themselves forward were elected.

Securing one of the posts is seen as a key moment in a student’s career, and can boost university applications and lead to other job opportunities, such as public speaking opportunities.

Parents and female pupils claimed that girls were being denied opportunities at the school, located in one of Scotland’s most affluent areas, as a result of its supposedly ‘progressive’ policies.

Williamwood, in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, is one of Scotland’s best performing schools, and also one of the largest, with around 1,700 pupils.

The school is applying for charter status with the controversial SNP-funded charity LGBT Youth Scotland, which advises against the use of words like boy and girl in classrooms, although the council denied there was any link between this and the shift to ‘ captains’.

East Renfrewshire Council, which is responsible for the school, said the shift in head boys and girls was part of a national trend designed to ‘enable greater equality’.

However, parents pointed out that the move appeared to have achieved the opposite of its aim, with feminist campaigners claiming the move would limit opportunities for female pupils while giving an advantage to men.

One parent, who did not want to be named, said: “If this was a step towards equality it has backfired.

“If you get two positions, a move like this clearly introduces the possibility of the vote ending with two boys or two girls, whereas before you were guaranteed a boy and a girl. It’s all sheer stupidity.’

Another parent, writing on social media, claimed girls were left ‘furious’ and teachers had allayed their concerns by telling them ‘that’s what you voted for’.

High achievers: the school badge

Another wrote: ‘So girls are excluded. How incredibly inclusive.”

Marion Calder, director of campaign group For Women Scotland, said: ‘This is yet another misguided policy under the guise of equality that in reality leads to the extermination of women and the denial of opportunities to girls.

‘It’s no wonder parents are rebelling. This school and all others who adopted this regressive change should abolish it and return to a system that has served them well for decades.

‘There have been several studies that show that girls are perfectly willing to vote for boys in these types of elections, but boys will usually only vote for other boys.’

LGBT Youth Scotland advises schools that terms such as ‘lead pupil’ are ‘more inclusive’ as alternatives could upset pupils who identify as transgender or non-binary.

The charity, largely funded by the SNP government, requires schools to rewrite and update policies to gain accreditation.

Williamwood has the eighth best exam results in Scotland, out of 361 state schools, and was named Secondary School of the Year in Scotland by The Sunday Times last year.

The school was rebuilt in 2006 and three years later became the first in Scotland to receive the highest possible score from education inspectors, five ‘outstanding’ ratings in terms of student achievement and teaching standards.

Williamwood has also consistently achieved very high student success in national examinations.

The council said the ‘captains’ system was introduced at Williamwood four years ago, replacing the titles of head boy and head girl, and that this year was the first year that two pupils of the same gender were elected.

A spokesperson for East Renfrewshire Council said: ‘Many schools in Scotland are moving from a head boy and head girl to appointing school captains to enable greater equality.

“The process for appointing headteachers at Williamwood High has been ongoing for several years and following a vote on this occasion, two male pupils have been appointed for the coming year.

‘The wider student leadership team within the school will include both boys and girls, ensuring a wide range of views can be expressed.

‘It is wrong to suggest that this approach to appointing headteachers is in any way linked to attempts to gain charter status from LGBT Youth Scotland.’

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