Gender Identity Data Collection on School Application

[TofuonToast]

So I’ve just finished completing my child’s secondary school data collection form. No questions about the sex of the child but questions on gender and gender identity. Obviously the form got it’s fair share of my own comments and bespoke answers. However, are schools required to collect data on sex? Given this is a selective school I would have thought the stats on female/male split would be needed given that if it starts to significantly skew then intervention would be needed at a primary school level.
I feel compelled to email and if anyone has anything that could back up my assertions I’d be grateful.

Have a look at GDPR data gathering rules and ask why they are using this information and what they will be doing with it. I'm sure there is something about having good reason to gather the data, you can't simply ask what you want you have to justify it.

It's very intrusive and non-scientific, it assumes gender identity as a concept exists and by asking is ascribing this to children.

The school shouldn't assume the sex based on the application either, if it is a single sex school they should be asking for this surely?

Are they a stonewall school? I'd ask about links to them as well.

The vaccination forms in my kids schools ask gender not sex too. I just left that bit blank.

Ah yes, asking why they need the data on gender and gender identity is good. It’s a mixed sex grammar.

Have a look at the ICO website. Organisations have to have a lawful purpose for asking for, collecting, storing, using, and deleting data.

IANAL but...gender identity has no basis in law so it fails all these tests.

They shouldn't be asking for what has no legal basis IMO.

Stonewall school?
God I hope not. I really fucking do. Fortunately I’ve been educating my children on this bollocks for the last couple of years so they’re adequately when they hear this nonsense anywhere.

I had this with my school. I told them the importance of collecting the sex of the child for medical emergencies. Think abdominal pain that could be an ectopic pregnancy in a girl. If they ask about gender it should have a starter question Do you have a gender identity? With yes/no options.
Also as a school how are they going to monitor sex discrimination and sexual harrassmdnt if they don't know the sec of their pupils.
Safe Schools Alliance will be a good place to start. Send s his Factsheets 8, 13, 15 and 26.
Also are they collecting information on any of the other protected characteristics (disability, race, religion) if so why have they opted out of the protected characteristic of sex but represented the others?
How will they monitor which pupils are using single sex spaces?
Lots of questions to ask them. safeschoolsallianceuk.net/resources-2/factsheets/

As it's mixed sex it's even more important that they know the sex balance of pupils for an incoming year. If they had 70/30 girls to boys they would need to consider things like toilet provision and PE.

It's ok to ask if they have a relationship with stonewall or any other LGBT charity. From experience I'm quite wary of the PSHE external providers and even local LGBT charities.

This is absolutely wrong and it would make me believe they didn’t understand their obligations.

Gender is used as a synonym for sex on SIMS, the database pretty much every school uses. I imagine the school is using gender as a synonym for sex. Still worth challenging though.

Sorry for typos not wearing my glasses!

Genuinely terrifying. I cannot put one ounce of faith in the education nor medical establishment while they are espousing such inaccurate madness for political gain. How can anyone? I'm staying well away from both and our family is doing better for it.

@ValancyRedfern

Gender is used as a synonym for sex on SIMS, the database pretty much every school uses. I imagine the school is using gender as a synonym for sex. Still worth challenging though.

OP said they asked for gender identity.

I’m going to be ‘that parent’ aren’t I? The one who the entire staff team eye-rolls at the minute my back is turned.
They have collected data on ethnicity/disability/religion. However their equality policy as well as going on about protecting pupils who have undergone gender reassignment also protects pupils from being discriminated against due to their sex. How can they do this when they don’t know the sex if any of their pupils?

Be that parent. They must think I'm bonkers. I have one child not been at school for nearly three years and have all sorts of paperwork and meetings for her and the other diagnosed autistic. Yet still I am that parent! Also I think it is good to let teachers know not everyone believes in gender identity ideology.

Yup, be that parent. There's a hell of a lot of data collected in schools now, the least they could do is collect and use it on a lawful basis