Guidance for schools in BBC news

Intersex children and those with complex severe mental health issues may well be one reason for the absence of a total ban. There are some circumstances where a child observed as female at birth may quite rightly transition to male at a later point when a DSD is diagnosed.

I would very much hope that this guidance will mean educational staff would not feel able to make a decision to enable “social transition” without strong medical backing. If they’re acting on specific advice from a child’s doctor or psychiatrist that would cover their arse, otherwise they’re on very risky ground. Of course there are still some doctors who will blindly support children in this, but it does seem to thankfully be getting rarer.

Caroline Flint is on GMB talking about intersex children whose sex cannot be determined.
Seriously?

I agree. The burden of responsibility teachers are asked to carry these days for things that should be outside their remit is huge. It's ridiculous. What I hope will happen is that heads will look at the guidance and think, "Stuff that, we'll just have a blanket ban on social transitioning". Because a blanket ban is easy to understand and easy to follow.

As for the rest of it, I'm hugely relieved. The issue of how schools deal with trans-identifying pupils is something I've followed closely from the outset, and I remember a time when a large proportion of schools and local authorities were adopting the insane Allsorts guidance, which basically advocated for allowing "trans" children to use opposite-sex facilities, including dormitories on residential trips. So finally we are moving away from that.

Very very very true.

because of th way Reddit is set up it always creates an echo chamber and then people wonder why the real world is different.

absolute circle jerk.

Today programme 8.10:31

General secretary of the Association of School Leaders was being interviewed. Absolutely brilliant interview I think about the guidance. Very sensible and measured, saying that they are used to having to deal with difficult things.

It is making a little cross though that it's taking the pack of cards toppling down for the BBC to start allowing sensible debate. 😭

Given that this guidance acknowledges that social transition is not a neutral act and may lead to medical pathways or embed a gender identity, that it stresses their should be caution, it should be rare, other contextual factors around the child should be considered...etc etc

Makes me wonder, on what basis can educational staff safely make such a decision??

And to what extent do they leave themselves open to legal challenges of harm by detransitioners in the future?

It's asking educationalists to make decisions about when to implement risky unevidenced psychological interventions.

Particularly excellent that it is phrased as “must not allow a child to …” . So there’s no “but they don’t mind” or enabling pressure on children to comply.

(Support daft guidance)

worth remembering that we aren’t allowed to post anything remotely critical of trans ideology on reddit.

The vast majority of teachers I have come across support the guidance

if the bbc had done its job and provided more information about the issues across all its channels, we wouldn’t be seeing as many echo chambers like this.

There are also quite a number of older gay or lesbian teachers who push this stuff as part of the LGBTQ+ rainbow agenda.

I really hope that Reddit thread is not representative of teachers in general. I wonder if they are younger teachers, not long indoctrinated from university themselves.

Bloody hell. At least this guidance will give parents a means to push back on these activist teachers.

Well done that head. Good to know there are some with some sense!

Comments from actual teachers, rather than just swivel eyed loons, are way more concerning.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TeachingUK/comments/1r2y1ht/vast_majority_of_parents_should_be_involved_if/

“When the guidance came out a couple of years ago, I explained to my students that I knew a lot more about the subject than the morons writing the guidance, and I was going to ignore it and do what I knew was right.
Other teachers, however, knowing nothing about it, acknowledged their ignorance and said they'd defer to the "experts" (not me, of course, but the government guidance 🙄).”

Actually that’s not true. The school has definitely not followed the existing rules. Which very clearly say single sex changing rooms and toilets.

this just says it again.

It's draft guidance out for consultation, you'd have absolutely no grounds and school have not acted against anything that they should be following. It should not be implemented at this stage and schools can not be held to account by it.
Once it had been through consultation the final version will be for action in KCSIE Sept 2026 most likely.

@WeMeetInFairIthilien It has taken a few years, but whilst we do have gender non confirming students, they use their own sex spaces, have games lessons with their own sex AND NOBODY SEEMS TO CARE that little Joesphine likes to have a short back and sides, and be called Jo. We've even had some boys wearing skirts in the summer, because trousers are too hot and shorts are not allowed.

If this wicked ideology leaves any legacy, please let it be that all children realise they do not have to be gender conforming and all school leaders take positive steps to encourage that belief in their schools.

£20 says they double down and won't lift a finger before September, possibly not even then.

It's interesting.

I'm a teacher of almost 20 years, in the South West, although I still have links with Brighton.

In my very large school, after Covid we had a huge influx of children who described themselves as trans
So much so, that the MAT we belong to posted guidance, saying that these children could use the opposite sex spaces.

Our Headmaster is a Biology teacher, 6ft 6 and fully aware of the physical differences between males and females, particularly as we teach secondary. He refused to use this guidance, stating that for everyone's safety, children that didn't want to use their own sex spaces would need to use the single occupancy unisex provision.

It has taken a few years, but whilst we do have gender non confirming students, they use their own sex spaces, have games lessons with their own sex AND NOBODY SEEMS TO CARE that little Joesphine likes to have a short back and sides, and be called Jo. We've even had some boys wearing skirts in the summer, because trousers are too hot and shorts are not allowed.

It's not a Utopia, but with sensible leadership and clear boundaries, the 'special-ness' of being a 'trans student' seems to have worn off.

But, it is such a relief to finally see it in print!

this all seems very promising
it would be great if 'social transitioning' was discouraged/banned outright but I suspect if SSS are enforced then social transitioning will become MUCH less attractive and the contradictions will become obvious and we will eventually reach a point where boys can wear skirts if they choose and girls can have short hair and sensible shoes

BonfireLady · Today 20:03
I've not been on MN for a while but this seems like an important moment to pop back on again.

Lovely to have you back on here Bonfire Lady. Have thought of you often.

Just heard BBC Education correspondent spell the Single Sex Spaces rules out very clearly. Where there are areas that would be considered SSS’s so Toilets, changing rooms, and over night accommodation for education visits, will all be single sex, determined by biological sex, with no exceptions.

So looking forward to seeing what your Head Teacher does now @SingleSexSpacesInSchools