GCSE textbook ‘tells pupils they have a right not to be offended’

PUPILS in secondary schools are using a GCSE textbook which tells them not to ‘offend’ other people.

The revision guide for citizenship studies says that Britons have a responsibility ‘to use freedom of speech but not offend’.

But critics warned that the book was ‘whipping up cancel culture’ and that it was suggesting pupils had a right not to be offended. They also criticised Labour for its plans to roll out the study of citizenship to a wider range of pupils.

Tory education spokesman Laura Trott said: ‘It’s utterly wrong-headed to teach children they have a right not to be offended. Schools should be places where ideas are tested and debated, not repressed.’

The book was published by exam board Pearson Edexcel, responsible for compiling content and exams for the course.

Exam boards are independent of the Government and design their own materials.

But Mrs Trott hit out at Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson for making citizenship lessons compulsory for primary pupils. She added: ‘Labour wants to double down on more citizenship in our schools. We need less ideology and more focus on the core skills that equip children for life beyond the classroom –

‘Whipping up cancel culture’

not wrap them in cotton wool.’

The guide states ‘freedom of speech may be misused to promote extremist views’. It adds: ‘This should be limited so it protects rights and does not discriminate against others.’

Lord Young of Acton, the director of the Free Speech Union, said: ‘This revision guide is encouraging children to cancel their classmates for saying something they find offensive. It’s whipping up cancel culture in schools.

‘If children are being taught that the right to free speech doesn’t include the right to be offensive, God help us.’

The book also appears to promote a partisan view of the debate over transgender people using single-sex facilities. It said it is ‘discrimination’ to provide toilets only for men and women – which appears to contradict the Supreme Court ruling that said the word ‘woman’ refers to a biological woman, and single-sex spaces can legally be preserved.

A Pearson spokesman said: ‘We are reviewing the wording in our... revision guide and workbook for clarity and accuracy.’ Almost 21,000 pupils took the subject in 2025.

The Department for Education said: ‘As an independent organisation, it is up to Pearson Edexcel to decide on the