Yesterday, the Department for Education released new guidance for schools to support gender-questioning children.
Guidance will be geared towards making sure that teachers are in the best place to act in a way that is best for children, whilst covering requests for pupils to socially transition. Social transition includes requests to change names, pronouns and uniform.
Also included within the guidance are principles relating to single-sex spaces and sports.
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said:
“This guidance puts the best interests of all children first, removing any confusion about the protections that must be in place for biological sex and single-sex spaces, and making clear that safety and safeguarding for all children must always be schools’ primary concern.
“Parents’ views must also be at the heart of all decisions made about their children – and nowhere is that more important than with decisions that can have significant effects on a child’s life for years to come.”
By making sure that the views of parents are at the heart of the guidance, it is ensuring that decisions that affect a child’s future cannot be made without involving parents.
A range of issues are given further clarity, with the focus being on social transition in the following areas:
- Registration of name and sex
- Safeguarding
- Changing names
- Changing pronouns
- Single-sex spaces
- Boarding and residential accommodation
- Uniforms and Clothing
- Physical education and sport
- Single-sex schools
Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, added:
“I have long called for clear guidance for schools who face difficult choices around how to help pupils who are gender-questioning.
“This guidance is therefore welcome and will help schools do their best both for gender-questioning pupils and for all other pupils in their schools.”
A 12-week consultation is being run surrounding the guidance, with the government encouraging parents, teachers, and educational decision-makers to respond.
Image credit: iStock
