Child in my class is trans

[theresheis]

Looking for some advice. I'm a long time lurker and whilst I have read lots of the posts surrounding the issues of trans rights and consider myself firmly in the gender critical camp I am not fully up to speed with the current legal situation surrounding the trans debate.

I am a primary school teacher and I teach eight-year-olds. I have a boy in my class who at home is going by a girl's name, using female pronouns and wearing girl's clothes. This has not happened at all in school and he has not spoken to his peers about this. His mum spoke to me recently and said she had taken him to the GP. She is supporting him but seems to be not overly pushing it. She is a single mum and she is somebody who I would describe as vulnerable.

His mum now has another GP appointment next week without the boy. I am wondering whether the GP is likely to signpost a charity which will advocate a transition?

I would like to know where I stand as his class teacher if it comes to it am I required to call him she/her etc?

I would say that none of the staff in the school would be aware that all of these issues and broadly would support his transition.

I have told the head that I am not prepared to tell the rest of the class that he has become a girl or ever was a girl. He looked pretty shocked and said he would go away and research this issue. Where could I suggest he looks?

Sorry quite a long post! Hope I've posted in relevant section.

Yep, will return tomorrow with all of those references. You'll see then that it's not random scaremongering after all, but genuine concern developed through knowledge of the evidence. Not that I want to spend my weekend doing other people's research for them.

spannablue

I did not ever say that I intend to misgender anybody. I asked what my obligations were both legally and professionally.

I also did not ever say that I would undermine his mum. In fact I explained repeatedly that I feel his mum is a person who would need support through any process and recognised that we as a school would be a vital support for her.

I did say that I wasn't prepared to say that this boy ever was or has become a girl. I would of course (if it was the case) explain that he is transgender and kindly, carefully and respectfully explain what this means to the other children in my care. There is nothing untruthful about saying that he is transgender. However rather more contentious to say that he is the opposite sex. I would prefer to avoid that conversation and so I told the head that I would not be prepared to tell my class this if this is the approach he wanted to take.

I am not proposing using any particular literature. Every single suggestion that has been made I have begun looking at. Every single one. Because I do actually want to get this right.

I am absolutely not an expert on anybody's identity that's for sure.

And I do want to do some wider reading as I do not know what my legal or professional obligations are. This was literally the purpose of my post. To ask for help.

Not that I want to spend my weekend doing other people's research for them.

But if you genuinely care about the children involved, don't you want the people caring for them to have access to the best possible information? You want to help those children, don't you?

spannablue yes please to those references thanks.

I find it intresting that this has been put in feminism chat

Yep, will return tomorrow with all of those references. You'll see then that it's not random scaremongering after all, but genuine concern developed through knowledge of the evidence. Not that I want to spend my weekend doing other people's research for them.

While you're doing that, could you also compare the Allsorts pack with statutory safeguarding frameworks? I'd be interested in whether or not you come up with the same number of areas where this pack makes recommendations to act entirely against Working Together, thereby putting gender-questioning children outwith the protections extended to other children.

(Clue: there are quite a few of them.)

3. Teachers are required by the Teachers' Standards to treat children with dignity and respect. This teacher isn't doing that.

There is absolutely no evidence to suggest this of the teacher and to accuse them of this is appalling.

It is possible to treat people with strong religious beliefs with dignity, respect and sensitivity, while not sharing their religious beliefs.

It is possible to treat people who are trans with dignity, respect and sensitivity, while not believing it is possible to literally change sex.

Tolerance should allow for a plurality of beliefs, not enforced belief.

The ploppers and misinformers on here woefully underestimate the women of Mumsnet generally and FWR in particular. You may be used, in a surprisingly male way, to issuing edicts with your internalised sense of authority and having them obeyed; mumsnetters ask for evidence, ask why and, in many cases, provide sound counterarguments. Don't come in with your nonsense- women don't scare easily.

@MNHQ

Just wondering...given the talk guidelines and number of deleted posts by a certain poster here where is the ban hammer?

Just wanted to say OP that you come across as caring and professional, and the ludicrous accusations that spannablue has thrown at you are absolutely without foundation.

I may also be placemarking to see if spannablue comes back with those references

theresheis I just wanted to wish you good luck with this. It's a really delicate situation, and it sounds like you're going to do everything you can to get it right for your pupil. (and possibly some and ).

So... single mother, 8 year old child who might be transgender. That strikes me as fairly identifiable.

I think that you should ask for this post to be taken down - if I was that mother, I'd be on to the school on Monday, with screen shots/links asking for a meeting with the Head.

Video clip here from Michelle Moore who is an expert in inclusive education. She makes some very interesting points.

From the Woman's Place meeting in Sheffield.

Gingerbread tells me there are over two million of us single parents in the UK, and the vast majority of resident single parents will be mothers (as I am), so not really that identifying. But thanks for the scare tactics.

No teacher should discuss one of their students on a public forum. It's a disciplinary offence, and rightly so.

Yes, there are many single mothers. But there are not that many potentially trans 8 year olds. I'm not going to advance search the OP, but she may well have written other posts giving her location/other details about her, which will in turn identify the child.

Nonsense. I'm on a few different teacher's forums. This is a perfectly normal type of post, asking for help and advice. Age is relevant to the type of advice. Single parent is neither here nor there, it's very common.

If I was that mother, I would actually be really reassured that my child's teacher cared enough about them to be seeking advice in their own time in order to help them. It's what good teachers do.

As an aside, either transgender is really common, and why we need to change all our language, access to facilities and laws, or it's so incredibly rare that merely stating a pupil's age is enough to identify them. You can't have it both ways .

Morning All!

So re the TT schools pack:

The Equality and Human Rights Commission refused to endorse the ‘Transgender Trend Resource Pack for Schools’ as it contravenes the 2010 Equality Act. Under the 2010 Equality Act, it is unlawful for schools to treat pupils less favourably on grounds of gender reassignment. The ‘Transgender Trend Resource Pack for Schools’ actively dismisses these legal guidelines, promoting instead withdrawal of support and legal protections.

The publication’s advice is also at odds with guidelines available to teachers from unions such as the National Education Union and The Teachers Union (NASUWT).

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) also endorses an affirmative model in treating transgender and gender-questioning children, which includes not attempting to change an individual's identity. The WPATH guidelines and the affirmative approach have been endorsed worldwide by leading experts in the field of transgender research and treatment, including the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the American Psychological Association, and ANZPATH (the Australian and New Zealand Professional Association for Transgender Health). In October 2017, leading UK psychological professions and Stonewall issued a Memorandum of Understanding opposing conversion therapy in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation. The MOU unequivocally stated that activity that “seeks to supress an individual’s expression of sexual orientation or gender identity” is unethical, potentially harmful and is not supported by evidence.

The Department for Education has also produced guidance for schools to help them understand how the Equality Act affects them and how to fulfil their duties. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/315587/Equality_Act_Advice_Final.pdf

We are all here because we care about children, OldCrone.

A word on 'misgendering': depending on your beliefs about gender, it means referring to someone as the gender they reject, or the gender they are not. It would be weird for all the kids in your class if your trans student showed up with a girl name, in girl clothes, playing girl games (all heteronormatively stereotyped of course, because this is patriarchy) and you called her a boy. Where's the line for correct gender behaviour and matching labels? What would you call a girl who showed up with short hair, in jeans, trainers and a hoody who played football? If she identified as a girl you wouldn't call her a boy, and nor should you.

This is a good place to start on looking at the evidence for suicidality. It's a Dept of Health funded project and references loads of other gold standard research: www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/upmprojects/understanding-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-trans-lgbt-adolescents-suicide-selfharm-and-helpseeking-behaviour(52c0a06e-58f1-4556-9c1c-33f33a8cd6c0).html

This is a book for teachers. The last chapter is specifically about how to work with a transgender student: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1785923498/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid&sr

Unfortunately someone has posted a review saying it breaks the EA. The publishers have confirmed that it does not. But there's a good video review of the book on there too. So have a look and make your own mind up.

Lots of free teacher resources here www.educateandcelebrate.org

And here the-classroom.org.uk

And here www.popnolly.com/about-pop-n-olly

I don't like old Tory Nick Gibb but here he is saying what the government expects schools to do www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-around-the-country-to-stamp-out-lgbt-bullying

I'm off to work now so don't call me a plopper

spannablue - what about the safeguarding failures in the Allsorts pack? Could you, specifically, turn your attention to:

confidential disclosures
parental alienation
undermining PR
multi agency working

How do you think this pack should be amended so that it is Working Together compliant? Or do you think placing gender-questioning children outside the protections offered to other children is the right way to go?

It would be weird for all the kids in your class if your trans student showed up with a girl name, in girl clothes, playing girl games (all heteronormatively stereotyped of course, because this is patriarchy) and you called her a boy. Where's the line for correct gender behaviour and matching labels?

There is no line for matching gender behaviour with labels

It is correct to refer to someone's sex, as gender is a social construct but sex is immutable. So if a child wears jeans plays footie etc and was born female you refer to her as 'she', if they were born male you refer to them as 'he'

it's really very simple

The Equality and Human Rights Commission refused to endorse the ‘Transgender Trend Resource Pack for Schools’ as it contravenes the 2010 Equality Act.

You keep saying this, but you have yet to post a quote from the resource pack to illustrate your claim. Do you also have a link to back up your claim about the EHRC?

spannablue - copy pasting a Mermaids Facebook post is perhaps not the belt and braces "proof" you said you were going to provide. Please provide a direct quote from EHCR detailing their refusing to endorse the Transgender Trend resource pack.

kudos for coming back by the way spannablue