School allowing boy to change in girls changing room secondary school

[Saffy6]

Hi my teenage daughter has told me there is a boy who identifies as a girl changing with the girls in their communal changing room. I have emailed the school who have confirmed this and stated that cases are dealt with individually but in most cases “trans students would have access to the changing room or toilet that corresponds to their gender identity. This approach is supported by the equality act 2010” None of the parents have been informed. Some of the girls are uncomfortable but do not feel they can say anything as they are afraid of being accused of transphobia.

My other daughter in year 9 has 3 girls in her class now identifying as boys (changed name and pronouns). Surely if they want to change in the boys changing rooms they will be allowed to too?

I’ve contacted safe schools alliance and I intend to challenge this policy. My question is, is this the norm? What is your schools policy on transgender kids and changing rooms and has anyone been in a similar position where you challenged this policy and what was the outcome?

Absolutely not supported by the Equality Act. This is bollocks.

Leak it to the Daily Mail anonymously. Daylight is the best bleach.

I would ignore the other student entirely. Simply insist the school provides your child with a private place to change. Should she have to move? No, she shouldn’t. But you will get further with approaching this from a privacy perspective. Accommodating the request of one girl for alternating changing probably won’t be that difficult. Once one girls asks for a safe place to change though, others will likely request the same.

if you know of other girls who are uncomfortable and have parents willing to advocate on their behalf, you could all coordinate these requests simultaneously so that no one girl has to be the first.

in most cases “trans students would have access to the changing room or toilet that corresponds to their gender identity

Fox
Henhouse

in most cases “male students would have access to the changing room or toilet that corresponds to their request.

We cannot stop engaging our brains as soon as the T word is played.

They can’t go quoting the Equality Act at you and also get said legislation completely wrong! I’d be on them like a ton of bricks. Really big safeguarding issue.

Yes and this is happening alongside all the work about sexual violence in schools and consent, at the moment. Consent is the current safeguarding thang. except when it comes to 'special people.' Anyway, as others have said the school is wrong.

I agree with PPs who've suggested you ask them to quote the part of the Equality Act that backs this up.

I think you need to name the school so that other parents are aware and the press can pick this up - it is a massive safeguarding risk.

I would also be raising this with the safeguarding lead and asking for the risk assessment.

My dd has a trans friend. He was born a girl, but identifies as male. He uses the girls changing rooms.

This is how it should be. Hopefully the overwhelming majority of schools are safeguarding children in this way.

We had a similar situation with trans girl in girls’ changing room at my child’s school. But it turns out the school had not actually sanctioned it, and when I raised it, it was sorted out really swiftly. I don’t actually know where the individual now changes - but not in the girls’ changing room. So it can easily be done if the school gets its act together. They are just plain wrong to reply with ‘but the Equalities Act’.

I answered a thread on something similar a week or so go and posted my correspondence. I'll search for the thread. But not at all acceptable or appropriate or legal.

I just asked my dd15 as there is a child in her year who is genetically a boy but identifies as a girl. I hadn’t thought about it before as dd doesn’t do PE due to a medical condition.
They do PE with the girls but they get changed in the toilets and are not allowed into the girls changing room until all girls are dressed.
This seems like the sensible route that your school should be taking. I would not be happy in your situation.

Here is the link to where I posted correspondence with school. You can be more succinct than me!
A boy who said he is a girl can only go into the girls changing rooms under the EHRC if it is proportionate. It can't be proportionate due to the right to privacy and dignity of the girls. Your school may have said they have done this on a case by case basis but that does not mean ignoring the rights of the girls. Even if the girls are saying they are okay with it it may because they have been coerced into being kind or scared of being called transphobic. Good luck.
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4530157-pe-changing-rooms-segregated-by-gender-not-sex?reply=116656865

Thanks for all your comments/suggestions.

The school got a new male headteacher 1 year ago. Prior to this there was a very strong no nonsense female head. I don’t believe this would have happened under her. Since starting LGBQT posters have gone up all over the school, the school students resource page has links to stonewall and my older daughter tells me in a pshe lesson recently she was taught there are over 100 genders as though this was a fact not a concept up for debate! Probably why there is now a no. Of girls in her class identifying as boys.

DD and her friends wouldn’t feel comfortable making a fuss by refusing to use the changing room. You have to understand the culture of the school is to “be kind” ( I agree with this when it comes to respecting anyone re their sexuality/ beliefs) and this extends to accepting the boy into the changing room (which is a step too far and has nothing to do with being unkind). Also dd says boy has got lots of children in trouble over transphobic comments.

it’s really hard to canvass opinion. It’s not primary school where you chat to parents in the playground. I don’t really personally know many of the parents. I spoke to a friend in an older year who was adamant this couldn’t be true and his sons who also attend the school didn’t believe it so not sure how many are aware of this policy. I approached one of my daughters friends parents as she had told me her mum wasn’t happy and was thinking of complaining but I get the impression she is scared to make a fuss. DD Is also worried that if I approach parents the kids will talk and if he is stopped from using the changing rooms it will get back to him it was her parent. I don’t want to put her in this position but at the same time I can not let this drop. Surely I can’t be the only parent feeling this way?

I don’t blame the boy , it is the schools fault for allowing this to happen. I just don’t know whether they will back down and tell him he can no longer change in girls changing room.

Eventually the government will provide new guidance for schools that we know (in the light of the recent EHRC guidance) will be specific that girls cannot be forced to undress in front of boys. So he'll have to back down.
It all sounds like a safeguarding / gaslighting nightmare OP.

Threads like this fill me with dread. It always seems to be biological males who insist on having access to women's spaces. How can it be that the wants of one male supersede the right to privacy of a whole cohort of females? The rationale and sensible response to this would have been for the male to change in a separate place (disabled toilet for example). This boy wields incredible power - no one can object as if they do he pulls the 'trans' card. Very dangerous to put that amount of power in any one individual's hands - let alone a teenage boy. The school is very misguided to say the least.

I worry at the narrative and direction this trans movement is going in. Girls today are being taught they must be seen but not heard - they cannot object if they feel uncomfortable for fear of being deemed bigots. Coupled with the saccharine culture of ''be kind'' / ''be nice'' that gets peddled in schools no one feels they can say ''I don't feel comfortable'' as they've been conditioned into feeling guilty for saying anything that might upset someone else. Girls are being taught to ignore how they feel, have no boundaries and are being silenced in what is an insidious manner. Swear to god it feels like we're going backwards.

I would give the school 3 options (I have a girl in year 7)

1. female exclusive changing room
2. come to school (& stay) in PE kit on PE day
3. I will opt daughter out of PE for safeguarding reasons

I think its time this whole idea that people can change their sex is ridiculous and schools are just pandering to this dangerous ideology - these are teenager who should be told they use the male or female facilities according to their birth. The more this ideology is given room the more acceptable it appears.

Does the school have some kind of parent council or parent body that you could also raise your concerns with?

And this is what all this bollocks has led to. Even kids are brainwashed by it all.

I'm interested in your last question Putin as my experience at school is the opposite of this - the trans girls would be, in old money, gay boys rather than heterosexual boys.

I don't know if this situation ever happens in my school, but I do know I've attended training by an LGBT group for teachers which told us it is what should happen.