Streatham Wells Primary includes transgender actor alongside Harry Styles to challenge gender stereotypes amid broader anti-misogyny education push
A London primary school has included actor Elliot Page in its teaching materials as a positive example of masculinity in a bid to challenge gender stereotypes and promote emotional literacy among pupils.
Streatham Wells Primary School in south-west London featured the Canadian actor, who medically transitioned with cross-sex hormones and surgery and now identifies as a man, in lessons about how masculinity can take multiple forms. Page was described as someone who shows masculinity “can mean softness and strength” in materials shared with pupils.
The 38-year-old actor, known for roles in Juno, Inception and the X-Men franchise, publicly came out as gay in 2014 and as transgender in 2020, using the pronouns he/they. Pop star Harry Styles was also referenced alongside Page to demonstrate to students that men can be multi-dimensional.
Headteacher’s Perspective
Writing in an article for education site Teachwire, Headteacher Sarah Wordlaw explained the school’s approach to challenging harmful stereotypes while promoting positive masculinity.
“It is important to teach pupils about harmful stereotypes about masculinity. However, if the first time we teach and name masculinity is calling it toxic, that could do more damage than good to our boys,” Wordlaw wrote.
“It is extremely important to teach about positive masculinities,” she continued. “We need to encourage empathy, kindness, showing emotions, listening to alternative points of view and developing emotional literacy.”
The headteacher, who also chairs the Lambeth Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Forum, said the school had already seen “a significant improvement in children’s awareness of key issues surrounding gender equality” but acknowledged that tackling gender stereotypes is not a “quick fix.
“Moving forward, we are going to continue to work on representation in our curriculum. This is not just representation of the amazing, strong women who have shaped global history, but also representation of positive masculinity,” she added.
Educational Debate
The inclusion of Page as a masculinity role model has sparked debate among educational professionals. Some have argued that using a transgender man as an example might risk undermining the message that biological men are equally capable of being gentle and emotionally aware.
Critics suggest the approach could inadvertently reinforce stereotypes by implying that traditional masculinity lacks these qualities, rather than expanding the definition to include all men regardless of their background.
However, Wordlaw defended the choice, stating: “We need to show that to be a man is not to be simply one thing. To do so, we highlight well-known figures such as Harry Styles and Elliot Page. They show that masculinity can mean softness and strength, and everything in between.”
Broader Anti-Misogyny Initiative
The Streatham Wells initiative comes as schools across the UK prepare to implement anti-misogyny lessons as part of updated Relationships, Health and Sex Education (RHSE) guidance, prompted in part by the success of Netflix’s hit drama “Adolescence.
The four-episode series, which became Netflix’s biggest-ever UK drama with over 120 million views, follows the Miller family after their 13-year-old son Jamie is arrested for stabbing a female classmate to death after being influenced by online misogyny.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer revealed at Prime Minister’s Questions that he watched the series with his two teenagers, and subsequently backed calls for it to be shown in schools and parliament to spark discussion about misogyny and online radicalisation.
Government Response
The new guidance is understood to include content to “support healthy relationships” and “enable schools to tackle harmful behaviour and ensure that misogyny is stamped out and not allowed to proliferate”, according to government sources.
From as early as primary school, children will be encouraged to “express and understand boundaries, handle disappointment and pay attention to the needs and preferences of oneself and others”, with content modified for older children to reflect the “real-life complexities of romantic and sexual relationships”.
Students will be encouraged to “think about what healthy sexual relationships involve” including “consent”, along with “kindness, attention and care”. As children progress to secondary school, classroom content will include the “communication and ethics” needed for healthy romantic and sexual relationships.
Addressing Online Influence
The curriculum changes come amid growing concerns about the influence of online content on young people. A recent poll by Amnesty International UK found that 73% of Gen Z social media users have witnessed misogynistic content online, with half saying they encounter it weekly.
Topics to be covered will range from dynamics of power and vulnerability to tools for managing “difficult emotions” like disappointment and anger that can affect relationships. The effects of misogynistic online content and pornography on young people’s sexual behaviour and their views of relationship norms will also be discussed.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced that secondary schools will teach greater awareness of AI deepfakes and “involuntary celibate” or “incel” culture, warning that misogynistic attitudes had reached an “epidemic scale” among young people.
Mixed Reception
The initiatives have received mixed responses from educators and experts. Some warn that showing programmes like “Adolescence” in schools without proper support could be harmful, particularly for survivors of sexual violence.
It poses a grave ethical risk,” said Jessica Ringrose, professor of sociology of gender and education at University College London. “We need to educate all young people to stand up against sexism, racism and other forms of inequality. A holistic approach is more effective than focusing on boys and men as problems to be fixed.”
Emily Setty, associate professor in criminology at the University of Surrey, cautioned that media interventions offer “a seemingly simple solution to a complex issue” and noted that most teachers are not specially trained to deliver relationships and sex education.
Cultural Context
The push for positive masculinity education reflects broader societal concerns about gender relations and youth behaviour. Reports from schools across the UK have documented incidents of misogynistic behaviour, with some female teachers reporting male students “barking” at them or refusing to engage.
A survey by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers found that social media is now the leading cause of poor pupil behaviour, with male students mimicking behaviours from online “red-pill” content promoted by controversial figures.
The creators of “Adolescence”, Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, have said they wanted the show to “cause discussion and make change”. Graham stated: “If it gets people to think differently or to listen more closely, then we’ve done our job.”
As schools grapple with these complex issues, the debate over how best to promote healthy masculinity while challenging harmful stereotypes continues. The Streatham Wells approach represents one school’s attempt to navigate these challenges, though its effectiveness and appropriateness remain subjects of ongoing discussion in educational circles.
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Image Credit:
Elliot Page, 2021 – Photo by Harald Krichel, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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