Teachers in England have been told they do not have to address pupils in their chosen pronouns under new government guidance on how best to support transgender students.
The draft document, released by the Department of Education, was meant to be published before the summer holidays, but was delayed to ensure it met the “high expectations” of teachers and parents.
It states that children, teachers or staff at a school should “not be required to adopt the use of preferred pronouns”.
In the absence of preferred pronouns, the child’s preferred name should be used, with schools having a duty to ensure bullying is never tolerated.
The guidance also states that schools and colleges do not have to, and should not, accept all requests for social transition.
Social transitioning relates to a pupil requesting to change pronouns, names and uniform.
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‘I socially transitioned at school’
“Proper use of this guidance means social transition, in practice, should be extremely rare when the appropriate safeguards are put in place and the child’s best interest taken into account,” the draft states.
Where a school considers a request, the draft states a “cautious approach” should be taken, including ensuring parents are fully consulted before any decision is taken.
Other main points from the draft guidance include: • Schools should make sure competitive sport is fair for all students, which will almost always mean separate sports for boys and girls; • Schools must provide sex-separated toilets for students aged eight and over and suitable changing accommodation and showers for pupils aged 11 and over; • Single-sex schools can refuse to admit pupils of the opposite biological sex, regardless of whether they are questioning their gender; • A gender questioning child should wear the same uniform standard as other children of their sex; • Sleeping arrangements like dormitories, tents and shared rooms should be sex separated.
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The draft is non-statutory, with parents and teachers now urged to have their say in a 12-week consultation.
New guidance could leave educators with more questions than they have answers
By Mollie Malone, news correspondent
The language on gender identity in schools is fairly tough, but it doesn’t massively change the status quo.
Much of the draft guidance issued by government, for schools and colleges in England, will still be down to the interpretation of individual teachers.
At the crux of this is how children who are questioning or wanting to change their gender, or express themselves differently by using different pronouns, uniforms, or appearances – known as socially transitioning – are supported and treated at school.
The advice to schools is that there is “no general duty” to allow them to permit social transitioning, that schools can “decline” an older child’s request to use a different pronoun.
“Schools and colleges should only agree to a change of pronouns… if they are confident that the benefit to the individual child outweighs the impact on the school community.”
Again – the decision is down to the discretion of the individual teacher.
Can, not should. No ‘general’ duty.
The guidance places heavy emphasis on parental involvement in any decision.
“Parents should not be excluded,” it says. This was to be expected. But the line between when and where a parent should be consulted is a slightly blurred one.
“Where a child requests action from a school or college in relation to any degree of social transition, schools and colleges should engage parents as a matter of priority… other than in the exceptionally rare circumstances where involving parents would constitute a significant risk of harm to the child.”
Who decides the ‘degree’ and harm? Many of these circumstances are ‘rare’ anyway. The transgender pupil population, while definitively unknown, is small.
For many schools and colleges, this will be welcome guiding principles which they’ve waited a long time for.
For politicians, among them former prime minister Liz Truss, who wants social transitioning in schools to be banned altogether – this won’t be anywhere as near as stringent as they think it should be.
Either way – this guidance, which is only guidance and not statutory – could end up leaving educators with more questions than they have answers.
On Tuesday, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the draft puts the “best interests of all children first, removing any confusion about the protections that must be in place for biological sex and single-sex spaces”.
She said it makes clear that safety and safeguarding for all children must always be schools’ primary concern.
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‘Issue of gender has gone in our school’
Speaking to reporters, Kemi Badenoch, minister for women and equalities, added: “This is comprehensive guidance. It can’t be the case that teachers have a lot of leeway, and we’re also forcing them to tell parents.
“What we are doing is making sure that for those schools who are very confused about what to do, and are getting very bad advice from organisations like Stonewall among others, understand what the government believes should be done.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT said on initial look, the draft proposals “leave a lot of questions unanswered”, leaving school leaders in “incredibly difficult” positions.
He said the union will be reviewing the draft proposals and will submit a response to the government’s consultation on behalf of members.
Confederation of School Trusts chief executive Leora Cruddas, concerned at the timing of the release of the document, said: “This will make it very challenging to respond to any concerns felt by pupils, parents and staff until schools return in the new year.”
A spokesperson for Mermaids, a transgender youth support charity, said the guidance was “unworkable, out of touch and absurd”.
The spokesperson said: “Rather than listening to trans young people and reflecting best practice of inclusive educators across the UK, the Government has created more confusion for schools and is putting young people at risk.”
What do teachers think?
Teacher Tapp, a daily survey app, asked more than 7,000 teachers their view of the guidance before it was officially published.
The results were split into primary school and secondary school responses:
• 41% of secondary school teachers were concerned guidance could be more divisive than helpful;
• 10% said they would prefer to rely on their own current policy;
• 34% of secondary school teachers said they would appreciate the clarification it could bring;
• 15% were open to whatever is recommended.
Teachers were then asked to what extent the political conversation affected their work.
• 62% of secondary teachers and 76% of primary teachers said it has had no effect.
Teachers were allowed to answer more than one option in the first poll.
‘Does not go far enough’
But in an early indication of potential unease about the measures on the right of the Conservative party, former prime minister Liz Truss said the guidance “does not go far enough”.
She called for a change in the law rather than non-statutory guidance.
Ms Truss said: “I fear that activists and others will be able to exploit loopholes in the guidance and the existing legal framework to pursue their agenda, leaving children at risk of making irreversible changes and with single-sex spaces not sufficiently protected.”
The former prime minister called on government to back her Health and Equality Acts (Amendment) Bill, which she first put to parliament on 6 December.
Under the proposed bill, social transitioning would not be recognised by schools or the state in children, and puberty blockers and hormone treatment for gender dysphoria would be banned for under-18s.
Speaking ahead of the publication of the draft, the prime minister’s spokesperson said it was a “complex area” and it was right to “take the time to get this right”.
Photographed in a beam of sunlight, Prince William walked through Westminster Abbey with the King behind him.
The ornate robes of the Order of the Bath service, two weeks ago, felt like a world away from the more modern image he wants to portray.
But as a man bestowed with so many traditional titles, it’s a new role he’s shaping for himself that is more intriguing – William, the quiet disruptor.
Image: The Prince of Wales at the Order of the Bath Service at Westminster Abbey. Pic: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace
In a week when Time Magazine named the Prince and Princess of Wales in its top 100 philanthropists list for “modernising royal philanthropy”, I spent the week following the prince on various engagements.
None of them particularly headline-grabbing, but all examples of how he’s setting out to do things differently, or underlining the challenges, and potential criticisms, he faces doing things his own way.
Take Tuesday, for example.
We weren’t expecting him to turn up as we waited at the Soho Hotel in London to watch a new series of films about the dangers faced by wildlife rangers, a project described as “the brainchild” of Prince William.
But all of a sudden, there he was in the room, taking the mic to explain what it really means to him.
Speaking about his drive to “give a voice to the voiceless”, it was indicative of what feels like a greater desire from him to articulate more publicly what he stands for.
Since November, when he described how he wanted to carry out his duties with “a smaller r in the royal”, you’ve got the sense William, and his team, have further wanted to cement in our minds where he sees his role.
From conversations this week, with those who work closely with him, the word “convening” came up time and again; the prince doesn’t want to waste what he knows is a unique position, to bring people together, start conversations and support those who are already doing amazing things in their communities.
Image: Prince William recording the opening scenes for a documentary about rangers and the dangers they face.
Pic: PA
Shifting the dial
But this isn’t just about him personally.
This is now a man whose vision for the monarchy, I’m told, is increasingly driven by a desire to “shift the dial on global leadership” where others may be failing.
With palace sources telling me he’d be more than happy to “be acknowledged” as a quiet disruptor, despite the criticism his new ways of working might bring.
Those who’ve known him a long time will tell you this compulsion to do things differently has been there for some time.
Image: Prince William during a recent royal visit.
Pic: PA
Dr Tessy Ojo, the chief executive from The Diana Award, has worked with Prince William and Prince Harry for over 20 years.
She said: “They would never do royal engagements from the sense of cutting the ribbon or simply being poster people. We were very clearly warned if you wanted any form of engagement, it almost had to have a whole strategy behind it.”
She told me she has always sensed how much William appreciates the responsibility that comes with his role, especially in a world where “there’s a massive demand on leadership… there’s a lot of distrust on leaders”.
“What people wanted 40 years ago from their monarch is completely different,” she said.
“I think it’s super important that as the heir, as the next monarch, he’s very in tune with what the people want, and what people expect. And being able to be that 21st century monarch, who is a present dad, but also a leader who understands how to use your leadership for social good”.
A modern royal
Wednesday, and William walked into a sweaty, but infectiously positive, community hall in Leith in Edinburgh.
No ribbon cutting here, but this is the kind of visit the prince now sees as a big deal, “impact” the buzz word ahead of any engagement now.
A very lively game of football launching what they hope will be a long-term tie-up between the Royal Foundation (their charitable trust), Leith community centre and Street Soccer Scotland.
Image: The Prince of Wales playing football during the visit to Leith.
Pic: PA
Image: Pic: PA
On Thursday, the sight of a guard of honour saluting the prince and princess, as the national anthem was played alongside HMS Glasgow, just emphasised the regular handbrake turns they face from the more relaxed to the formal, as they want to make the monarchy feel connected and relevant.
Then there is family to consider, in a way that past generations just haven’t.
Their working diaries are now arranged around their children. They’ve made no secret of that.
On paper, it means fewer engagements compared to other members of the family, and it has led to mutterings of that word no one within the palace wants to hear: “workshy”.
Image: The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the naming ceremony for HMS Glasgow.
Pic: PA
Making an impact?
But talking to people in Glasgow, away from the royal visit, I overwhelmingly found most thought William was setting a good example by putting family first.
What people were less clear on was his “social impact” work and what that is all about.
The community projects may not necessarily grab as much attention as William and his advisors want, but what will be fascinating to watch is the potential long-term impact of this new kind of ethos.
As the Prince and Princess of Wales stood on the steps of Buckingham Palace at a garden party on Tuesday, pausing for the national anthem, you can’t help but wonder whether those traditional elements of royal life could face a shake-up when one day he leads the firm full time.
Understandably, no one likes to talk about transition, and Prince William certainly doesn’t shout about his thoughts on what will come.
South Western Railway (SWR) has been renationalised this weekend as part of the government’s transition towards Great British Railways.
The train operator officially came under public ownership at around 2am on Sunday – and the first journey, the 5.36am from Woking, was partly a rail replacement bus service due to engineering works.
Image: Pic: PA
So what difference will renationalisation make to passengers and will journeys be cheaper?
What is nationalisation?
Nationalisation means the government taking control of industries or companies, taking them from private to public ownership.
England’s railway lines are currently run by train operating companies as franchises under fixed-term contracts, but Labour have said they want to take control of the lines when those fixed terms end.
Image: Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. Pic: PA
In its manifesto, the party vowed to return rail journeys to public ownership within five years by establishing Great British Railways (GBR) to run both the network tracks and trains.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who travelled on the first renationalised departure from London Waterloo, said, before boarding, it was “a new dawn for our railways” and “a watershed moment”.
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“But I know that most users of the railway don’t spend much time thinking about who runs the trains – they just want them to work,” she added. “That’s why operators will have to meet rigorous performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways.”
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How reliable are UK trains?
How will ticket prices be affected?
Labour have argued cutting off payments flowing into the private sector could save the taxpayer £150m a year.
But the government has not explicitly promised the savings made from nationalisation will be used to subsidise fees.
It is unlikely rail fares will fall as a result of nationalisation, rail analyst William Barter told Sky News.
“The government could mandate fare cuts if it wanted to, but there’s no sign it wants to,” he said.
“At the moment, I’m sure they would want to keep the money rather than give it back to passengers. The current operator aims to maximise revenue, and there’s no reason the government would want them to do anything differently under government control.”
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UK has most expensive train tickets in Europe
What difference will it make for passengers?
Britain’s railways are frequently plagued by delays, cuts to services and timetable issues, but Mr Barter said nationalisation will make very little day-to-day difference to passengers.
There was “no reason to think” the move would improve issues around delays and cancellation of services, he said.
“It’s going to be the same people, the same management,” he explained.
“The facts of what the operator has to deal with in terms of revenue, infrastructure, reliability, all the rest of it – they haven’t changed.”
Image: Pic: iStock
Which services are next to be nationalised?
In the longer term, the move is likely to bring “a degree of certainty compared with relatively short-term franchises”, Mr Barter said, noting the government would only want to renationalise a franchise “because in one way or another something very bad is going on in that franchise, so in a way it can only get better”.
It also means the government will have greater accountability for fixing problems with punctuality and cancellations.
Mr Barter said: “If this is the government’s baby, then they’re going to do their best to make sure it doesn’t fail. So rather than having a franchise holder they can use as a political scapegoat, it’s theirs now.”
He added: “In the short term, I don’t think you’d expect to see any sort of change. Long term, you’ll see stability and integration bringing about gradual benefits. There’s not a silver bullet of that sort here.”
Britain’s railway services were privatised in the mid-1990s.
Image: South Western Railway came under public ownership at around 2am on Sunday. Pic: PA
Now, all services run by private companies will be renationalised as contracts reach the end of their minimum terms, with the process due to be completed by the end of 2027.
The next operator’s services to be brought under public control will be c2c – which runs between London and Essex – on 20 July, with Greater Anglia following in October, before seven more companies transfer over when their franchises end in the future.
Operators that were already under public ownership are LNER, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express.
Alan Yentob, the former BBC presenter and executive, has died aged 78.
A statement from his family, shared by the BBC, said Yentob died on Saturday.
His wife Philippa Walker said: “For Jacob, Bella and I, every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, he was exciting.
“He was curious, funny, annoying, late, and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide.”
Yentob joined the BBC as a trainee in 1968 and held a number of positions – including controller of BBC One and BBC Two, director of television, and head of music and art.
He was also the director of BBC drama, entertainment, and children’s TV.
Yentob launched CBBC and CBeebies, and his drama commissions included Pride And Prejudice and Middlemarch.
Image: Alan Yentob (left) with former BBC director general Tony Hall in 2012. Pic: Reuters.
The TV executive was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the King in 2024 for services to the arts and media.
In a tribute, the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie said: “Alan Yentob was a towering figure in British broadcasting and the arts. A creative force and a cultural visionary, he shaped decades of programming at the BBC and beyond, with a passion for storytelling and public service that leave a lasting legacy.
“Above all, Alan was a true original. His passion wasn’t performative – it was personal. He believed in the power of culture to enrich, challenge and connect us.”
BBC Radio 4 presenter Amol Rajan described him on Instagram as “such a unique and kind man: an improbable impresario from unlikely origins who became a towering figure in the culture of post-war Britain.