Schools in Brighton tell teachers to say 'grown ups' not mum and dad'

Parents told a newspaper how children have become confused by the edict which outlines the language staff should use to ensure pupils raised in diverse families are not stigmatised.

It comes as St Luke's Primary School, Elm Grove Primary School, Carlton Hill Primary School and Saltdean Primary were revealed to have scrapped the words to avoid discriminating against "non-traditional" families.

Furious parents with children at Carlton Hill Primary School, in Sussex Street, told the Daily Mail that the policy was "confusing" and "madness".

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They said: "It's very confusing for us adults, never mind the kids.

"They just don't understand why the teachers can't call their mums or dads, mum or dad?

"I know the schools are trying to take into account the different kinds of families pupils may come from, but the majority have a mum or dad, regardless of if they are together or not.

"So why can't staff just keep it simple for the kids and call their parents what they are; mum or dad?"

St Luke's Primary School

Another added: "In trying to be more inclusive, the schools are forgetting about mum and dad, the most important people in a kid's life. This is just madness, where will it stop?"

St Luke's Primary School in Brighton policy states: "We have an equalities language code for staff [eg to value all families we rather refer to "mums and dads" and instead talk about 'grown-ups']."

While Elm Grove Primary School maintains in its equalities statement: "We try to talk about our 'grownups' rather than our 'mums and dads' to acknowledge the different family groupings our pupils live in."

While the school vision statement of Carlton Hill Primary School, says: "We try to talk about our 'grownups' rather than our 'mums and dads' to acknowledge the different family groupings our pupils live in."

Saltdean Primary says in its equality and diversity policy that it prefers to use another term altogether.

It reads: "We use the terms parents/carers rather than 'mum' and 'dad' as we recognise that our families are made up of many different people.

"When children start at Saltdean, they discuss and share what makes a family for them.

"This allows children to see different family dynamics than their own but also helps them to recognise that it is the relationships that make a family."

Brighton and Hove City Council said it had not issued any guidance on the matter and schools were free to make their own decisions.

The city council said schools were free to make decisions on wording

A spokesman said: "Our advice to schools is that it is of course fine to use words such as mum, dad or grandma if staff know a child's family circumstances.

"But we have a very diverse school population and we want all members of the school community to feel included.

"In cases where a child's family is unknown, the term grown-up or grown-ups can include, for example, grandparents, foster carers, families with same sex parents and single parent families.

"Schools make their own decisions about their equality policies."