Parents in Jersey have expressed outrage after a Government department said they do not need to be informed if their child starts ‘changing gender’ at school.
The Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department’s ‘Trans Inclusion Guidance’ advises teachers that a child “being LGBTQ+ or exploring their gender identity does not in itself constitute a safeguarding concern, nor is it something the child’s parents or carers must be informed of”.
It goes on to suggest that when communicating with parents, schools may sometimes need to use the name and pronouns the parent uses for the child, hiding from them that a different name and pronouns are used in school.
‘Life-changing’
The guidance also instructs schools: “Ensure that the pupil knows what toilet/changing room facility that corresponds with their gender identity is available to use.”
Jersey-based solicitor and father, Michael Shenkin, warned: “They’re children. They’re not old enough to make these sort of life-changing evaluations”.
“It’s not something that should be the default position for a pupil and it may not be that that is the root thing.”
He warned that such a suggestion could cause a child to believe “they’re born in the wrong body”, instead of “exploring whether there are other things in their life which might be causing their unhappiness”.
‘Extraordinary’
An anonymous parent added: “If you ask me why I’m worried about this as a parent, it’s the fact that the Education Department is pumping guidance into Jersey schools, telling them to do things around this issue, and also not tell me. I think that’s extraordinary.”
In response to criticism, the Department said the guidelines support a “case-by-case basis in discussion with the young person, their family (unless safeguarding considerations prevent this) and professionals around them. The focus of this guidance is to provide practical advice. It is not intended to be prescriptive or exhaustive.”
But The Christian Institute’s Head of Education John Denning warned: “The first priority in drafting the Jersey schools guidance should have been the safeguarding of children, not jumping on the bandwagon of a once-fashionable political cause, promoted by groups whose advice has been shown to be a distortion of legal, biological and psychological reality.”
‘Shocking’
Mr Denning explained: “Social transition in schools is not a neutral act: it has considerable psychological significance. The Cass Review states ‘the importance of what happens in schools cannot be overestimated’. If parents are considering allowing their child to socially transition before puberty, it says they must be prioritised for specialist clinical advice.
“It is certainly not a decision teachers are qualified to make. Even after puberty, Cass is cautious and is clear that schools must not create a divide between the child and their parents.
“It is quite shocking that the Jersey guidance tells schools to ‘Ensure that the pupil knows what toilet/changing room facility that corresponds with their gender identity is available to use’, which seems a roundabout way of saying ‘ensure pupils can use changing rooms and toilets that match their perceived or claimed gender identity’.
“This could lead to teenage boys who say they are girls, whether they sincerely believe that or not, getting changed in the girls’ PE changing room. That obviously has the potential to put girls at risk and runs directly counter to last month’s ruling of the UK Supreme Court and the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s advice following it.”
Cass Review
Last year, the UK Government removed similar Stonewall-inspired phrases from the main safeguarding guidance for schools in England.
In September 2022, paragraphs had been added to ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ in response to Stonewall lobbying, claiming: “The fact that a child or a young person may be LGBT is not in itself an inherent risk factor for harm.”
But the 2024 version of the guidance removed them. The replacement paragraphs, which remain “under review” , only state that “being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is not in itself an inherent risk factor for harm”.
Referencing the Cass Review, it emphasises that “caution is necessary for children questioning their gender as there remain many unknowns about the impact of social transition and children may well have wider vulnerabilities, including having complex mental health and psychosocial needs”.
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