Still Asleep at the Wheel: A Further Examination of Gender and Safeguarding in Schools - Policy Exchange

[IwantToRetire]

A new report by Policy Exchange reveals that secondary schools in England are still heavily influenced by gender ideology. Too many secondary schools are socially transitioning gender-distressed children without reliably informing parents, failing to adhere to their safeguarding responsibilities and compromising the rights and interests of other children in school.

The report includes FOI research assessing schools’ policies, replicating an identical round of FOI research carried out for Asleep at the Wheel: An Examination of Gender and Safeguarding in Schools in 2023.

Despite some progress, particularly regarding the provision of single-sex toilets and changing rooms, we found that many schools still lack adequate policies. In a minority of schools, it appears that contested beliefs about gender identity remain embedded: staff support children to begin a social transition in the school environment and teach contested ideas as fact. In other schools, staff are failing to uphold their safeguarding duties, as they do not reliably involve parents, the Designated Safeguarding Lead, or a medical professional. The interests of other children are often compromised, as all children are required adopt a transitioning child’s new name and pronouns.

Moreover, many schools permit a child to self-identify as a different gender and participate in sports activities with opposite sex. We found that:

• 70% and 73% of schools maintain single-sex toilets and changing rooms.
• 43% of secondary schools reliably inform parents when a child discloses feelings of gender distress.
• 58% of schools reliably involve a safeguarding lead or medical professional in these cases.

More than one third of schools do not maintain single-sex sports.
The report calls for the Government to amend the draft statutory guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, on which it is currently consulting.

As Baroness Falkner of Margravine, former Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said in her Foreword to the report:

“Schools require greater clarity and authoritative guidance, consistently enforced. They carry a significant responsibility and must be supported to understand how to discharge their duties lawfully, consistently, and with confidence.”

https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/still-asleep-at-the-wheel/

I sometimes can't help but think of this.

Yes there is a certain worrying consistency there.

I was convinced that the poster in question hadn't wanted to tell her mum that she was having sex with an older boy when she was at school. And it had all stemmed from that.

But, of course, it could be an awful lot more disturbing than that.

You don't have to look very far to see low personal boundaries in some of the people who end up effectively arguing to support lowered safeguarding.

I imagine a large part of school and systems' actions around trans students is focused on preserving the privacy of students and the prevention of massed angry adults keen on stalking, hurling abuse and other threats at a minor.

My parents were notified that I had kissed a boy in school when I was very young. Before they were notified, I was physically punished at the school. I was also kept out of class for the remainder of the week. I assume the parents of the boy I'd kissed were told. I can't recall if the other boy was punished.

The environment was different, yes. Homosexuality was understood to be something that was deviant and should be quashed. North America was yet to be under seige by newly formed conservative Christian political action groups empowered by a shared love of Jesus to preserve the purity and innocence of children (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_Our_Children).

You kissed another student at school? That is a very serious issue regardless of the sexual orientation of either student.

Sure. I imagine all the parents would have wished to be notified that a boy was kissing other boys in class. I was five or six, I don't remember why I did it. We were in a play period in kindergarten.

That's why Safeguarding guidance is standardised and statutory isn't it? We all have our own experiences, beliefs and vulnerabilities and it's so important that adults are supported to put the child first and not let our own feelings influence how we respond.

It's not easy - DSL's often spend time supporting adults who've listened to something awful from a child or who get involved in gruelling safeguarding issues where children are carrying the most unimaginable burdens and unexpectedly share it with an adult they trust.

Front line social workers learn the skills of distancing and have professional supervision regularly. Few teachers have that and often you can see the toll safeguarding takes in schools. In my last school we had several DSLs which allowed for prompt responses and provided gave an immediate source of consultation and "how the hell do we manage this?" from others trained to the same level.

Standing back and removing yourself and your emotional responses from situations is critical. It's not about us which can be a challenge to acknowledge sometimes.

You understand that you kissed another student at school. Do you believe that no parents should have been told about that? Or not?

I understand. I never said I believed no parents should have been told about it.

I said "I imagine all the parents would have wished to be notified that a boy was kissing other boys in class."

Why would all the parents wished to have been notified? Was it a trend?

What is the comparison that you are trying to make again?

I imagine a large part of school and systems' actions around trans students is focused on preserving the privacy of students and the prevention of massed angry adults keen on stalking, hurling abuse and other threats at a minor.

Yup, sounds like par for the course for the trans activists.

I know that girls under 16 can have an abortion without parents being informed so obviously there are some instances of things where parents would very much like to be informed but they don’t have to be.

I’m not sure whether there’s a list of things parents do have to be informed about, or a list of things they don’t need to be informed about that ‘child thinks they are trans’ can be considered against.

Your comparative point is not relevant to the current situation and frankly.

You kissed a student. That was not appropriate behaviour at all. But it has no bearing on the current situation here in the UK in relation to students with gender identities.

I am absolutely not campaigning against trans pupils and I am offended you have implied such.

please correct the record.

The school's actions when I was 5 weren't about educating about personal boundaries but punishing perceived sexual activity and deviance.

The sex realist arguments against integrating trans children in school infer a significant predatory intent.

I don't believe every parent of students is owed any notification about either situation.

What about the fact that gender confusion in children seems to often co-exist with mental health problems, anxiety and neurodivergence.

Is it not worth flagging to parents on those grounds?

I retract my statement. I erred and do not accuse you personally of campaigning against any trans child.

SSSS, I have also requested the post be removed.

Thank you.

Yes, the parents of the student, but no one else is owed anything.

That said, not all parents will appreciate the news that their child is potentially queer.

That sounds very confusing and uncomfortable for you as a 5/6 year old.

Depressingly I've dealt with numerous children in Primary schools who have sexually assaulted other children. And in one instance a nursery.
In the vast majority of those cases the children were victims of assault themselves, often too young to recognise the abuse or to articulate it and of course below the age of criminal responsibility. The children were seen as victims and the adults went to great lengths to ensure via therapy that their understanding of boundaries, autonomy and inappropriate touching was addressed. In a small number of cases several boys went on to become teenage sex offenders.

That's why the statutory safeguarding framework is so important with the multi disciplinary approach of experts being able to identify complex issues. It stops individuals with an agenda being able to influence difficult decision making.

Edited to remove my comments having seen your apology and the removal of your smear against another poster.

SSSIS, I've read your posts here and the news articles, you have actually displayed a great deal of sympathy and compassion towards the trans pupil, and repeatedly asserted that their dignity, privacy and safety matters as well.

EDIT to remove second part as the malicious false accusation has been removed and apologies provided

I'm afraid I may have requested the wrong post be removed. I have sent a correction request.