Changing name on register

[ImStillMe]

DD said her secondary school are considering allowing students to change their names on the register without their parents' knowledge.

Anyone know of schools which do not inform parents of this?

Yes, they can state their preferred name which appears on the register if requested. Parents do not need to consent. It works the same is Frederick wants to be called Freddie or if Frederick wants to be called Sophie.

This has always been the case, hasn't it? I didn't use my legal name at school, no one checked with my parents, I just told them what I wanted to be called and they called me it.

In the last 25 years I've been teaching, this has been the case. On the register it's whatever the student wants to be known as. But for formal documentation like exam results and annual reports the formal legal name is required.

I change names on the register sometimes eg from Joshua to Josh and Benjamin to Ben because that's what the children prefer.

Thus far, gender questioning dc have only ever had those convos with us when their parents are present as it's part of a wider picture. But theoretically, changing their name is at their request, just as it is for all students.

Yep my school used to allow students (or their parents) to request a register name change. Thus a Keira-Louise I taught (who asked me to call her Keira) became Keira on the register after a couple of weeks. All good.

But it’s not the same at all, is it?

I’m guessing you a) haven’t read the Cass Interim Report and b) aren’t the parent of a gender questioning child.

Changing name and pronouns is part of the social transition. The Cass Interim Review has this to say about social transition - ‘this may not be thought of as an intervention or treatment, because it is not something that happens within health services. However, it is important to view it as an active intervention because it may have significant effects on the child or young person in terms of their psychological functioning. There are different views on the benefits versus the harms of early social transition. Whatever position one takes, it is important to acknowledge that it is not a neutral act, and better information is needed about outcomes."

DD is 'Catherine' (not her actual name, but she has a perfectly normal name of the same length!). Her registration papers were filled in with Catherine and she is known as 'Kitty' at home and with her friends. I expected Catherine to go onto the register, her school ID, her email address etc etc. For some reason known only to themselves they put her on the register as 'Kate'. She has never been called Kate in her life! I alerted them to their mistake at the beginning of yr7 but the school office said it didn't matter as her GCSE entries etc will be made with the name Catherine and she would just have to tell staff to use Kitty.

I have tried many times to get it changed - she is now yr9! - but they just say it doesn't matter as GCSE entries will be correct blah blah. Most teachers now know DD as 'Kitty' but when they have cover staff or new teachers, they don't. 'Kate' is still read out every lesson in the register!

On the flip side, there are a considerable number of girls (it's a girls' school) who wish to change their names to Finn, James, Brad etc as they question their gender. They are allowed a register, email etc change only if their parents request it. So they won't change DD's to 'Catherine' as per her actual registration but would if I asked for Ben! Crazy, but DD is now used to it.

If its a secondary school, the "register" is likely to be a management information system, from which reports and correspondence are generated, so if the name changed the parent would soon find out.

If a child asks for a name change, but also asks for the name change to be kept secret from the parent, the school should treat it as a safeguarding issue because it is a sign that the relationship between parent and child is under strain.

Btw, the MIS will have a field for (birth) name and another for "preferred name". It is only the preferred name that will be changed (unless the birth name has changed by deed poll).

@Land0r if I was you I would write back to the school and say that it does matter, because your daughter's preferred name is Kitty, not Kate, and you would like that to be respected.