Ofsted has given the school at the centre of the “cat pupil” allegations a clean bill of health, with inspectors praising its “culture of kindness” as well as its handling of relationship and sex education.
Ofsted inspected Rye College in East Sussex after a complaint by Kemi Badenoch, the minister for women and equalities. There had been media coverage of a video of pupils arguing with a teacher over gender and identity, with one pupil appearing to claim that a student identified as a cat.
The new report from the education watchdog – after its snap inspection last month – has exonerated the school, saying: “The concerns relating to the teaching of [relationship, health and sex education] that led to this inspection do not reflect pupils’ normal experiences at school.”
Although the report does not directly address the argument between the teacher and pupils, or the question of whether any pupils identify as animals, it praises the quality of staff training and teaching of relationship and sex education “in a sensitive and impartial way”.
Ofsted’s lead inspector, Matthew Haynes, said in the report: “Pupils are taught how to debate contentious subjects. Most pupils learn to do so respectfully and maturely.
“For example, pupils are clear that there are contested views about gender, sexuality and whether these are assigned at birth. One pupil summed up the views of many when he said, ‘We are taught to think for ourselves, but also to respect everybody’s point of view.’”
The report also found the majority of parents were “impressed” with how the school handles complex issues. “Reflecting the views of many other parents, one commented, ‘Rye College is a great school. My child is very happy, feels safe and is supported by teachers,’” the report notes.
A spokesperson for Rye College said: “We welcomed Ofsted’s visit as we were confident in what they would find and in the conclusions they would reach.
“We are pleased that the letter clearly states that the event that led to the inspection ‘[does] not reflect pupils’ normal experience at school’. We remain committed to offering our community an inclusive education, in line with best practice that prepares our young people for the world in which we live.”
The controversy began when a student secretly recorded the discussion involving year 8 pupils and posted an excerpt to TikTok. In the brief clip, a pupil describes the idea of another pupil identifying as a cow or cat as “crazy” and extends her remarks to include biological sex and gender as binary.
A teacher is heard telling the student that their views were “despicable” and saying: “If you don’t like it, you need to go to a different school.”
The video provoked a string of outlandish media reports, including one that claimed schools were “taking children who identify as horses out cantering and feeding strips of meat to those who consider themselves to be dinosaurs”.
Katharine Birbalsingh, a head teacher and the government’s former social mobility tsar, said she knew of a private school in England where “a bunch of girls identify as cats”.
Rye College has said no child at the school “identifies as a cat or any other animal”, but apologised to parents for the handling of the original discussion.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “There was a huge amount of political and media noise around the incident which led to this inspection and which we can now see very clearly from the findings of this report was blown out of all proportion.
“The most ridiculous aspect of that media and political noise was the suggestion that children were identifying as animals in schools on a widespread basis – something we have never heard of and never had reported to us by any school or college leader.
“We would urge politicians in particular to establish the facts before leaping on stories in the media and remember that there are real people – students, staff, and parents – who are deeply affected by suddenly finding themselves in the eye of a manufactured storm.”
