Should a 6 year old be taught that it’s normal to be trans, in a PSHE lesson?

[cloverdance]

Hi everyone,

I’d appreciate views and any knowledge on this. My husband came downstairs this morning really perturbed and upset that our 6 year old daughter had said that she’d been taught a book in PSHE- something about ‘My Brother’s Now My Sister’ and told him that a TA leading the lesson had said that it is normal to be trans. She told him she now wants to be a boy.
I don’t actually think she is gender confused at all, more that this suggestion has been made and the idea has been put into her head.
I’ve done a bit of research and there is a 2024 government doc that suggests that this level of detail should be saved for secondary school. I’m not sure if this is still the case.
DH is adamant he wants to go down to school and challenge the teaching of this. The school are a Rainbow Flag school and are very much inclusive. To be clear, we like this about the school and we are not homophobic- happy for children to be taught that love looks different for different families etc. However, we are both not happy that this level of detail has been used, including the word ‘trans’ at age 6 and in year 1 and that transitioning is a normal thing to do.

DH is a secondary school teacher so has to be careful in airing this view. My view is that biological men shouldn’t be in female only spaces.

Does anyone have any advice what we should/can say to school. We don’t want her being taught this at such a young age.

I would check out Safe Schools Alliance UK website. Lots of advice and resources there.

Cornwall schools use Jigsaw, which doesn't have a transgender lesson until year 6 ( although there is vague nonsense in earlier years about not knowing what sex children are).
DS went to school with a boy who became a girl 🙄in yr 1. He knew the boy was still a boy , but they learn not to mention anything. You can still tell your child that changing sex is impossible though.

Absolutely not ok. Gender identity ideology is a contested belief system and should not be taught as fact (at any age).

I would urge you to raise this with the school.

You might find some info in this recent report that help you with what to say to school

https://www.transgendertrend.com/childrens-trans-themed-books

See the Conversion therapy thread.

Your husband should go and tell them he may soon be able to sue them for causing your daughter to think she is a boy which is conversion.

It is outrageous of the school.

No most definitely not!

Thank you so much @Leafstamp@Thatcannotberight
I’ll take a look at those. I know the head will make out that we are bigoted and not inclusive… how exactly would you raise it? Ask for a meeting and ask to see the specific lesson resources? I don’t want to raise it again with our daughter as I just don’t want to draw any more attention to it…

No, it’s not OK to ‘teach’ young children highly contested ideological propaganda.

I’d be writing a strongly worded email to the Headteacher.

Where has this book come from? Is it from an organisation approved by the DfE?

I’m not sure @AhhhSchtop it sounded like it was the main resource that had been used to introduce the topic. Like, read the story, now let’s talk about how people can change sex 🥴

This doesn’t sound like a year 1 phse lesson at all! We’ve just had a talk on what the curriculum covers.
At this age it’s stuff like body parts. Families. Plants, animals.

They learn about protected characteristics I think about year 5. But it doesn’t really go into details it’s more a list.

@ScrollingLeaves I can’t find one exact thread on this. I’m not a very regular mumsnetter- I name changed for this - I just used to go on the pregnancy threads!

@fashionqueen0123 my feeling is it’s an over enthusiastic TA who has gone rogue. BUT the head is constantly mentioning that they are an all-inclusive rainbow flag school (and now I think of it I’m sure the uniform policy says boys can wear skirts if they wish)…

Absolutely not. You only have to look online for two seconds to see the growing number of troubled often ND teenagers who are being sold it as the end to all their problems.

it is an absolute scandal and the marketing of it, love is love, has been exemplary.

Remember most parents will agree with you and the ones that don’t fall in to two camps. One - they just haven’t thought it through. Two - they are involved in the cult themselves.

Boys wearing skirts isn’t the problem. Boys wearing skirts and thinking that means they’re now a girl is.

Is it a big deal if a boy wears a skirt?

Sounded like you were arguing a boy-who-wears-a-skirt shouldn't be able to identify as a girl to avoid negarive evaluations

Depending on how approachable the Head is, I would ask for a meeting because you're a bit confused as to how your 6 year old has come home with strange ideas she can only have heard at school. Faux naivety whilst knowing what you really want to discover. Use the resources we've signposted so you are forewarned and forearmed.
Have a search on here for Jigsaw. Probably not what your school uses, but afair lots of advice around the teaching of GI.

This is absolutely inappropriate for Year 1. I'm also surprised that a TA taught the lesson; in my school, it's a subject that only class teachers are allowed to teach.

I agree with others that Safe Schools Alliance and Transgender Trend are good organisations to look at.

Here's the latest statutory guidance:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6970e7e67e827090d02d42e0/Relationships_education_relationships_and_sex_education__RSE__and_health_education__for_intro_1_September_2026_.pdf

70. In teaching this, schools should be mindful that beyond the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment there is significant debate, and they should be careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact. For example, they should not teach as fact that all people have a gender identity. Schools should avoid language and activities which repeat or enforce gender stereotypes. Schools should be mindful to avoid any suggestion that social transition is a simple solution to feelings of distress or discomfort.

71. Where schools decide to use external resources, they should avoid materials that use cartoons or diagrams that oversimplify this topic, that could be interpreted as being aimed at younger children, or that perpetuate stereotypes or encourage pupils to question their gender. Schools should consult parents on the content of external resources on this topic in advance and make all materials available to them on request as set out in the section on openness with parents

This isn’t cool- assuming you are a genuine poster as this is such a dog whistle.

So PSHE shouldn’t be taught by a TA. Check the policy on that. Number 2. Which PSHE curriculum do they use? Very very unusual for anything even close to trans identity to be mentioned this age.

If you’re not happy with the response from the head, you can take it to the governors.

Will it really work that way round?

They are teaching six year olds this?
I would be making a complaint to the police 😡

@CountFucula@cariadlet the school it tiny and only has two classes of many mixed years so TAs do a lot of the teaching (we aren’t happy about this either).
I absolutely am a real poster! This all literally happened this morning.

I'm curious about what the book was. The closest I can find is "You Need to Chill" by Juno Dawson.
It might be worth showing your daughter and asking if that was the story the TA taught or if it was something else.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/YOU-NEED-CHILL-sparklingly-illustrated/dp/0008488282/ref=asc_df_0008488282?mcid=de8de3ffe797365fb5cacb77d65592fc&th=1&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697333251527&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2593463296907255204&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9193972&hvtargid=pla-1643690251611&psc=1&hvocijid=2593463296907255204-0008488282-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1

@Hypercatalectic I am one of the parent governors 🥴

Fuck, no.