Debbie Hayton in the TES

[NeurotrashWarrior]

https://twitter.com/debbiehayton/status/1126712166466244610?s=21

I can't access it as not a subscriber but thanks Debbie for promoting trans gender trend's pack.

Getting this into the TES is very much needed.

*Supporting transgender students: what you need to know

How can you ensure young people can express their gender identity in school without experiencing discrimination or being made to feel uncomfortable? And how do these concerns intersect with legal and safeguarding requirements? Teacher Debbie Hayton explains all in this guide*

www.tes.com/magazine/article/supporting-transgender-students-what-you-need-know

Wish I could read it as the safeguarding element in this is crucial, not least to get teachers' attention enough to read it as well as explicitly spelling it out.

My main conclusion after 3500 words: “Children need to be taught, and they need to learn about themselves, each other and the wider world. But even more important than that, we must keep them safe – all of them.”
*
Safeguarding must always come first. [4/4]*

Excellent. The safeguarding risks to all children embedded in all these trans toolkits / guidance from lobby groups is unforgivable. Well done Debbie for pointing this out - and in the TES as well.

We'll get deleted for posting the whole thing here but I realise many are curious. There's a long discussion of the history of guidance in schools for gender-questioning children, a comparison of the approaches taken by various groups providing guidance, such as Allsorts and Transgender Trend, a discussion of the legal framework and a set of recommendations.

I think it should be okay to provide the main section of recommendations as a quoted extract here and this will be what most of us will be interested in:

For sex-based policies, the following would be best practice:

• Regarding toilets, changing rooms and residential trips, separate provision – private facilities such as “accessible” toilets, individual changing cubicles and showers, and single rooms – can preserve the rights and dignity of all. While it would be ideal to offer every pupil these options, building design and economies may mean that this remains an aspiration.
• Record-keeping should enable schools to aggregate data according to sex as well as the gender with which the pupil identifies. This can be vital when considering, for example, the relative performance of boys and girls. Equally importantly, it would permit the school to monitor the progress and outcomes of trans-identified children.
• Policies on PE and sport need to consider health and safety, as well as the dignity of all pupils. In particular, competition should be fair. The disparity between the sexes arises from biology, not gender identity, and it is dispiriting for girls to be at a competitive disadvantage against trans girls. While there is plenty of opportunity in school for all children to exercise together, fair competition is segregated by sex, not gender identity.

Gender-based policies can be inclusive so that all pupils enjoy the same freedoms:

• School uniform codes can apply in the same way to both sexes so that all pupils can access the same clothing options. Individual requests from pupils and/or their parents to adapt school uniform or dress code should be considered on a case-by-case basis and handled sensitively. Policies regarding make-up and jewellery can also be gender non-specific. Inclusive practice allows all children to express themselves as they feel comfortable without the need to identify as transgender.
• Issues may arise with sports kit, especially for swimming. Schools may allow flexibility in their arrangements and permit all pupils to wear skirted swimsuits, long shorts or short wetsuits as alternatives to traditional costumes.
• When children are grouped for activities, boys and girls need not be listed separately or treated differently unless it is considered necessary to maintain safeguarding.
• Insofar as is possible, both sexes should experience equality of opportunity and provision in the curriculum.
• Preferred names are widely used in schools, and the same policy can apply to children whose preferred name is usually associated with the opposite sex.
• Gender-neutral pronouns – for example, they/them – may be used as an alternative to sex-based pronouns.

Note to MNHQ: this is only about 10% of the article. Not the bulk of it pretending to be a quote. Honest!

Article also mentions girls' need for privacy and dignity, particularly around the age of menarche.

I found it a little weak on the primacy of information sharing - the main unifying factor in Serious Case Reviews when something has gone terribly wrong for a child, gender-questioning or otherwise.

A pretty good guide for head teachers currently caught in a political row.

Thanks LangCleg . They're good recommendations and, most importantly are inclusive.
Worth reading alongside the Transgender Trend's excellent analysis of how the trans toolkits deliberately disempower and exclude girls from school life:
www.transgendertrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CRIA-Allsorts-Toolkit.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2Ncm9WWoc-ikaW0XJV79w4rzaREgVqr_-aWa_xgS6MhL3hncjUqFVGu1g

If people know any teachers in real life it's worth them letting them have the links to these.

Thanks Lang. That's really helpful.

Although primary, all of this is what we did in sen with a child who was later DX autistic but adamant they wanted to wear girls things, then when they heard about trans they decided they were a "woman trapped in a boy's body." (Obviously repeating what an older sibling / relative had said.) the "wet suit" swim suit I remember was used by him and an acceptable alternative. This was over a decade ago though. Pronouns and a different name were never mentioned by him. He was definitely GNC rather than struggling with his feelings over his body and seen by specialists.

Personally, although I have fond memories of the chequered dresses myself as a child, I think schools should all just have trousers and shorts as dress code. But that won't be popular.

My own secondary school had no uniform but it was grunge 90s and so jeans and tops. Interestingly they returned to a uniform as boundaries were being pushed a few years later, but retained it as jeans and school logo jumpers. Worked there briefly and I simply don't remember any girls wearing skirts due to the jean option. It must have been an option, I'm not sure. (Farming community though which is only relevant as everyone always wore jeans!)

Claire Graham's talk last year which went through the key legal, policy & Safeguarding issues comparing the Allsorts & Transgender Trend School toolkits.
Really worth watching:

Current thread:

OP Enterthewolves wrote:
"Trans School Toolkit - brilliant assessment

Helen from Transgendertrend has done a brilliant assessment of the Allsort’s Trans School Toolkit (the one they says girls who don’t want to share changing rooms with boys should be educated...). It is the Toolkit that has formed the basis of many versions all over the country.

www.transgendertrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CRIA-Allsorts-Toolkit.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0OtpDIim-uh7VsbmNELZi3p0xRmsSbIBz0BcukENgoIMP1kop1uxUrjX4

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3582327-Trans-School-Toolkit-brilliant-assessment

Worth also being aware of this recent pitch article aimed at school governors & written by Stonewall representative:

Guest post: How can governors support LGBT inclusivity in schools?

Sidonie Bertrand-Shelton, Head of Education Programmes at Stonewall, outlines the questions governors should be asking to make sure schools are LGBT inclusive – and why inclusivity in schools is vital.

(extract)
"While there is a clear need for LGBT inclusive education and a legal responsibility for all schools as well, what questions should you be asking as governors?

Do you receive bullying incident reports which record homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying incidents as well? If not, why not?
Do the school policies use the right terminology when talking about equality for LGBT people and tackling HBT bullying and language?
Are the administrative systems and processes inclusive of different families (including LGBT families and carers) and of different children and young people? How do you know?
How many of the children and young people in your school identify as trans or non-binary?
How do you hear and act on student or pupil voice from your school? What about staff voice, and your LGBT members of staff?
Do school staff, parent and carer surveys include questions to better understand challenges on embedding LGBT-inclusion?
Is there a staff lead for inclusion that includes LGBT in their job description?
Do you feel confident answering a question from Ofsted on your LGBT-inclusion work in school?
Interested to find out more? There are a few ways to get involved in our network of schools:

Send one of your teachers on our CPD accredited Train the Trainer programme for schools. They will receive the skills, tools and confidence to train their colleagues on LGBT inclusion, and your school will become a Stonewall School Champion.
Once a Stonewall School Champion, you’ll be able to benchmark your school according to our Bronze, Silver and Gold award criteria and receive a certificate. (continues)

www.governorsforschools.org.uk/blog/guest-post-how-can-governors-support-lgbt-inclusivity-in-schools/

Well done Debbie getting that in TES, it will be taken seriously having been posted there and by a transwoman!

Just to reinforce what @LangCleg said, the full piece is 3500 words so she did only report a small excerpt.

Claire Graham' s talk is excellent and I used it when I researched my piece. She compared the TT Guide with Allsorts; I decided to focus on the transgender toolkit. It's similar to Allsorts but it had been in the news because councils were "reviewing" it. So they should. Safeguarding is safeguarding and it applies just the same when trans-identified children are involved.

I hope that the piece may be moved in front of the paywall. If that happens I will link to it.

from the article:
For sex-based policies, the following would be best practice:
• Regarding toilets, changing rooms and residential trips, separate provision – private facilities such as “accessible” toilets, individual changing cubicles and showers, and single rooms – can preserve the rights and dignity of all. While it would be ideal to offer every pupil these options, building design and economies may mean that this remains an aspiration.

Best practice for females is to have single sex spaces.
This is for safety, dignity & privacy

Individual mixed sex toilets & changing cubicles are increasingly shown in other circumstances such as swimming pools & work places to compromise girls & women's safety, dignity & privacy.

Best practice for females is to have single sex spaces. This is for safety, dignity & privacy.

Yes.

Debbie has mentioned regularly using female facilities, as has Kristina Harrison. I think this would make it hard to stop any other males on the same premises using the women & girls’ toilets / changing rooms if they identify as trans, because there’s now a precedent.

Which is unfortunate.

article by ExcelPope (a school governor) identifying how Safeguarding should work:
(extract)
"I spend a lot of time designing policies and procedures, and what I tell people is this:- Imagine a worst-case scenario occurs. There is an official investigation, where you’re asked “What did you do to prevent this happening?”. Now imagine what answer you’d like to be able to give to that question in that scenario – that’s the starting point for writing your policies.

In that vein, here’s a scenario.

You are the head-teacher of a secondary school, with pupils aged 11-18. A police officer arrives at the school and asks to speak to you. They have found a video on a porn site which shows the changing-rooms at your school, including a number of girls, who appear to be aged 13-15, in various states of undress. It has clearly been filmed with a concealed camera-phone.

The video has been taken down, but not before it had tens of thousands of views. The account that posted it has been traced to a student at the school who identifies themselves as trans and was, in accordance with the guidance, allowed to use the female changing rooms.

The police need a female member of staff to view the video with them, to identify the 20 or 30 teenage girls who appear in it, so that they and their parents can be informed that they have been victims of voyeurism.

What did you do to prevent this happening?" (continues)

There are around 2.2 million males aged 13-18 in the UK, no matter how much experience you have with children, with trans people, with trans-children, you cannot absolutely assert that none of them will abuse, or attempt to abuse, the guidance given in a manner that infringes of the rights of other students.

This isn’t about demonising all trans people, or suggesting that any given one of them would act in such a manner. This is about the risk presented by the guidance itself, whether that risk can be mitigated in a manner which is proportional to the potential seriousness of the outcome and whether the risk is, in part or in whole, outweighed by the risks of not implementing the guidance." (continues)

excelpope.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/the-unaskable-question/

Thank you Debbie.
Well done for getting this into the TES.

I will be more impressed when Debbie leads by example and uses only male or designated mixed-sex facilities.

I have nothing against Debbie personally but want single-sex to remain a clear and unambiguous option.

I'm not sure how helpful it is to derail this thread with your views DodoPatrol

There is a huge concern that schools are only hearing the misleading and legally incorrect opinions of trans lobby groups so a trans teacher highlighting the safeguarding issues in the TES is massively important.

I'm not sure how helpful it is to derail this thread with your views DodoPatrol

No. It's fair comment. Something Debbie has no problem with. These things must be aired without women tone policing each other lest it make someone uncomfortable.

truthisarevolutionaryact

Discussing the need for appropriate provision of female single sex spaces in schools is very relevent to policy makers.

This is a Safeguarding issue.

Point taken LangCleg. There has been so little direct challenge to the gaslighting happening in schools via the trans lobby groups that maybe I am over anxious about diluting the message.

Link to Transgender Trend School resources as highlighted in the TES article:

(extract)
We have designed the document to be fully comprehensive and cover all areas because this is such a new phenomenon that teachers are facing and existing guidance is so one-sided, but each individual section may be printed out and used separately if needed.

For this work, Stephanie Davies-Arai was nominated and shortlisted for the John Maddox Prize 2018, a joint initiative of the charity Sense About Science and the science journal Nature, which “recognises the work of individuals who promote sound science and evidence on a matter of public interest, facing difficulty or hostility in doing so.”

www.transgendertrend.com/schools-resources/

Fair enough, Truth, but although I like and appreciate much of what Debbie is doing, I deeply disagree with the idea of excluding some transwomen and not others, presumably on the grounds of niceness. That's no sort of boundary.