Labour under fire after textbook promotes ‘cancel culture’ by telling pupils ‘do not offend’
Pupils in secondary schools are being taught not to ‘offend’ other people as part of their Citizenship Studies GCSE.
The course’s revision guide states that Britons have a responsibility to ‘exercise freedom of expression but not to offend’.
The coursebook was published by Pearson Edexcel, the examination board responsible for compiling the course content and exams.
Around 21,000 students took this course in England in 2025.
Last night, campaigners said the book ‘whips up cancel culture’ and criticized Labor over its plans to expand civics studies to a wider range of students.
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said: ‘Teaching children that they have the right not to be offended is completely wrong.
‘Schools should be places where ideas are tested and discussed, not suppressed.’
Education Minister Bridget Phillipson has made citizenship lessons compulsory for primary school students as part of Labour’s ‘plan for change’.
Pupils in secondary schools are being taught not to ‘offend’ other people as part of their Citizenship Studies GCSE (pictured: Pearson revision guide)
It comes as Labor plans to expand citizenship studies to a wider range of students (image: Education Minister Bridget Phillipson)
Ms Trott added: ‘Labour wants to double down on more citizenship in our schools.
‘Rather than wrapping children in cotton wool, we need less ideology and more focus on the basic skills that will equip children for life beyond the classroom.’
The guide also states that ‘freedom of expression may be abused to promote extremist views’.
He adds: ‘This should be limited so that rights are protected and there is no discrimination against others.’
Lord Young of Acton, director of the Free Speech League, said: ‘This revision guidance encourages children to cancel classmates for saying something they find offensive.
‘This fuels cancel culture in schools.
‘God help us if children are taught in school that the right to freedom of expression does not include the right to be offensive.’
Quoting Lord Justice Sedley, he added: ‘Freedom of expression includes not only what is innocuous but also what is offensive, contentious, eccentric, perverse, unwelcome and inflammatory; as long as it does not tend to encourage violence. It’s not worth having freedom of speech just to do harm.’
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott (pictured) said the approach was “completely wrong”
The textbook also angered gender-critical campaigners by taking an openly partisan approach to the debate over transgender people using single-sex facilities.
He said providing toilets only to men and women was ‘discrimination’ and that ‘human rights take precedence over a country’s right to run its own affairs’.
One example of discrimination listed in the book is ‘gender reassignment discrimination; for example, ‘allocation of toilets to men or women only’.
In the ‘Answers’ section at the back of the guide he adds: ‘Gender can change individual identity. For example, an individual born into one gender may choose to transition to another gender by making changes to their appearance, clothing and practical aspects such as using public toilets.’
This appears to be in direct conflict with last year’s ruling by the Supreme Court, which said the word ‘woman’ refers to a biological female and that single-sex spaces can be legally protected.
A Pearson spokesman said: ‘Pearson regularly reviews its content to ensure it is accurate and complies with curriculum requirements and relevant government guidance.
‘As part of this process we are reviewing the wording in our civics studies revision guide and workbook for clarity and accuracy.’
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘It is vital to teach children a variety of perspectives, but our impartiality guidance is clear that all material used by schools must be accurate, age-appropriate and teachers must provide a balanced presentation of views where political issues are discussed.
‘Schools are free to include a wide range of topics, ideas and materials in their curriculum, including where they are challenging or controversial, subject to their obligations to ensure political balance.
‘As an independent organisation, it is up to Pearson Edexcel to decide the content of its materials.’
