Not again! - Government is proposing to allow trans-identifying boys into under 18s girls’ school sport - unless it is deemed unsafe

Some secondary schools due to size or other needs have mixed PE. I appreciate the strong focus on the school needing to put in those risk assessments and being crystal clear that even in situations with mixed PE, that that doesn't change the need for single sex toilets or changing rooms. I do wish the focus in that section discussing the risk assessments didn't only mention social transition as a reason to do this, ignoring the other reasons these things have been happens for many years. Almost all the PE I did growing up was mixed PE, I don't recall it being that big of a deal.

I'm likely biased as I've had a child who has benefitted from this, most of which has been in previous KCSIEs. When my DD2 was in Year 9, the secondary school she was at went from having a mixed sex PE option alongside single to only single sex; however, there was an adjustment period and parents like me who had kid in mixed PE who had expressed an issue with the change were given the choice of a meeting to discuss the situation and to consent to an individual risk assessment alongside the sports ones the school was already doing. I think it was largely handled well - when there was a sport deemed too risky, she was given the option to go with the girls PE or (what she always chose) to go with the boys who also weren't in that sport for medical reasons to the gym for strength and gym training. There were a few girls like my DD throughout the year groups. I'm aware of only one boy who had been given the option, and he went with the girls for dance for that half term and then - because he was Y11 - he was given and took the option to go to the study hall extra support for exams group.

I absolutely agree when it comes to competitive sports and contact sports that single sex should remain the rule, but school PE can be more flexible than that. The guidance needs to reflect that there are secondary schools that have mixed PE and that there can be situations where different options need to be considered. We can focus on the trans-identifying boys, but I'm more concerned with how many girls already hate PE particularly in how many schools do it with the focus on competitive games that wouldn't work well as mixed sex and those like my DD2 who would just refuse PE - whatever punishment - if she'd been forced to go from mixed PE which had been a lifeline for her to girls' PE when she'd already been given consent by the school to change separately due to how badly she'd been bullied in the girls' locker room.

FFS they don’t give up do they.

Okay - so the draft policy (copied above) is the proposed change??

It looks okay to me - Single sex exemption for sport noted for both safety and also for fairness.

Only in cases where there are no safety concerns and the social transition has been considered (rather than instantly accepted) could this be considered - and then only when it has been balanced against fairness to others.

So from this I would take it that it would be quite hard for a child to access single sex sports if not that sex. There are several safeguards - refusal on grounds of safety, refusal on grounds of fairness, refusal on consideration that it is detrimental to the larger group/ their access to PE (so perhaps related to those with other competing beliefs)

I may well be missing something - but this seems to be an improvement to the 'welcome to all who want to access wrong sex sports'

Funnily they forget to mention under factors to consider: “you must also consider that it is unlawful to place boys in female sex groups, or girls in boys groups so don’t do this”

Relevant parts: DRAFT – NOT CURRENT DfE POLICY

95. As children get older, some sports are typically taught and played in single-
    sex groups.27 The Equality Act 2010 contains an exception in relation to single-sex sport. It applies to participation in any sport or game, or activity of a competitive
    nature, where the physical strength, stamina or physique of the average girl would put her at a disadvantage in competition with the average boy (or vice versa). This means that schools and colleges can separate children according to their biological sex in these circumstances without discriminating unlawfully against them on the basis of their sex.

96. Some sports may need to be played in single-sex groups from a certain age
    to ensure children’s safety, and where this is the case there should be no
    exceptions. In other cases, schools or colleges may have adopted a policy of
    single-sex sports for reasons related to fairness.

97. Where there are no safety concerns and a child makes a request relating to
    how they participate, schools and colleges will need to consider the request in light of the advice on “considering requests for support with social transition”. This means that the school or college would need to take into account all the relevant factors, including whether supporting social transition is overall in the best interests of the child, as well as considering the impact on other children and the aim of creating safe and fair environments for children to participate in PE

Sounds like Sharia

A girl is a girl, a boy is a boy. It does what it says on the tin. There is no need to invent specious 'reasons' to justify boys in girls' sports. FFS if they want mixed teams then let them be open about it. Nothing wrong with a mixed team that girls and boys can choose if they wish (I used to play in a mixed hockey team). But parachuting boys into a specifically girls' team is just wrong.

Bloody civil servants drafting this crap into policy. It runs very deep.

How does that comply with FWS?

Thanks for the link. Completed.

Oh FFS, thank you Cats, I will try to respond.

Of course they were going to do this and the number of people who fell for the oh we have realised women dont actually have penises crap is rediculous.

They have always wanted to push this through