Trans schools’ guidance: What does it mean for me?

Following months of delaying, the UK Government finally published its draft ‘Gender Questioning Children’ guidance for schools in England. Although pending consultation, the guidance nonetheless sets out the government’s trajectory and gives some much-needed clarity for teachers.

The guidance is more conservative, or ‘gender-critical’, than many expected, and has already triggered backlash from activists; Mermaids called it ‘out of touch and absurd’. The English guidance is also notably divergent from the equivalent guidance in Scotland which takes a much more liberal, or ‘gender-affirming’ approach.

Here are my top four take-home points from the guidance, and what it means for Christian teachers, parents and pupils.

1. Parents should be told about their child’s request to socially transition.

This has come as a relief for many Christian parents who were concerned about schools deliberately concealing their child’s social transitioning whilst at school. The guidance makes clear that parents should be informed except in ‘very rare situation[s]’ where there is ‘a significant risk of harm’. However, it is notable that these exceptional circumstances are not delineated, and the word ‘harm’ is often used by activists to describe offence rather than physical injury. Whether teachers will appeal to ‘risk of harm’ when concealing information about a socially-transitioning child from their Christian parents is yet to be seen.

2. A time of ‘watchful waiting’ is required before affirming a child’s transgenderism.

This fits with the American Psychological Association’s (APA) diagnostic manual which notes that the great majority of childhood gender dysphoria naturally desists prior to adulthood. Thus, parents and teachers not initially affirming a child’s transgenderism is now in line with both the schools’ guidance and the APA’s medical data.

3. Parents, teachers and pupils can conscientiously object to using preferred pronouns.

The use of preferred pronouns is a point of debate amongst evangelicals. However, for parents, teachers and indeed pupils, whose consciences do not allow them to use preferred pronouns, the guidance makes it clear that ‘no teacher or pupil should be compelled to use … preferred pronouns’ and the religious views of parents ‘must be respected’.

4. Single-sex spaces are non-negotiable.

Finally, the guidance specifically states that toilets, changing facilities, showers and dormitories for older children must be split by biological sex, and if a child does not wish to use the facility of their biological sex, an alternative should be sought.

Conclusion

In sum, the new schools’ guidance has brought some welcome clarity for teachers and mandated a cautious and conservative approach to gender-questioning children. The guidance hopefully empowers Christian parents to work constructively with schools and advocate for a Biblical ethical approach to gender. However, the draft guidance is now going to consultation and Christians must be attentive to what comes next.