London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, May 09, 2025

PM pledges trans guidance for schools for summer term

PM pledges trans guidance for schools for summer term

Rishi Sunak has promised schools will receive guidance on policies for transgender pupils for the summer term.
The Prime Minister intervened after a teaching union said its members were navigating a 'minefield' around gender.

He was asked about a report from a centre-right think tank Policy Exchange which looked at 154 English secondary schools.

It found only 39 of them reliably informed parents when pupils identified as trans or questioned their gender,

Eighty-seven schools found parents were not reliably informed, 14 did not provide enough detail and a further 14 chose not to respond.

The authors of the report, written as part of the think tank's Biology Matters Project, submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to 304 of England's 24,000 secondary schools.

The schools were chosen at random. Any special schools which were selected were discounted from the report as Policy Exchange said "many of the issues raised are not applicable or relevant" to them.

Schools were asked a series of questions about their policies on issues ranging from whether schools would disclose to parents as soon as a pupil 'comes out' as transgender or questions their gender, to whether children should play in sports teams that don't match their sex registered at birth. Only 154 of 304 schools responded. Not all of the schools responded to all of the questions asked.

The report claimed some schools felt disclosing information to parents about whether a questioned their gender identity, or expressed a wish to change gender, would breach the child's confidentiality.

When asked about the report during a visit to the UK Atomic Energy Authority in Oxfordshire on Thursday, Mr Sunak said he was "very concerned."

He added: "For me, the safety and wellbeing of our children is of paramount importance. I've also been clear that parents must be able to know what is being taught to their kids in school, especially on these sensitive areas.

"I'm also going to say today that for the summer term we will make sure we publish guidance for schools so that they know how to respond when children are asking about their gender.

"These are really sensitive areas, it's important that we treat them sensitively, and that parents know what's going on, and we'll make sure that that happens."

The Teaching Union Association of School and College Leaders said schools had been waiting for guidance for "several years."

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton said: "Schools work very hard to be sensitive to the needs of pupils questioning their gender identity, and all their pupils, by providing a supportive and caring environment, and teaching children sensitively about respectful relationships in a diverse society through RSE lessons.

"Unfortunately, they are endeavouring to do this in the context of a public minefield of strongly held and opposing views, of which this report from a think-tank is yet another example.

"Meanwhile, the government has still not produced guidance for schools on supporting pupils who identify as trans or who are questioning their gender identity, despite this having been under discussion for several years.

"This is clearly needed so that schools are able to draw on an established set of guidelines rather than constantly being caught in the crossfire between opposing views and beliefs."

A Department for Education spokesperson said its priority was the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

"The education secretary is working closely with the minister for women and equalities to produce guidance for schools, which we will be consulting on shortly.

"In the meantime, we are clear that schools should make sure they work with parents, pupils and public services to decide what is best for individual children."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×