School guidelines on helping trans pupils ‘could be improved’

TRANSGENDER rights campaigners say new guidelines on how schools in Northern Ireland should support trans pupils are “not perfect” and there is “room for improvement”.

The Education Authority (EA) has drawn up non-statutory guidance on practical issues, such as name changes, uniform policy and the use of toilets.

The EA defines transgender people as those who “have a gender identity which differs from that of their (assigned) birth sex”.

It is recommended that each school appoint a designated staff member to be the first point of contact for pupils who are questioning their gender identity.

Teachers are advised to be “sensitive to the needs of transgender pupils, as well as the needs of other pupils” when making decisions about the use of toilets and changing rooms.

Reasonable efforts should also be made to allow transgender pupils to use changing rooms that match their gender identity, the EA said.

Teachers will be told to respect a transgender pupil’s wishes with regard to what name they are called, including non-binary pupils who don’t identify as male or female and may want to be referred to as “they” rather than “he” or “she”.

Schools are being advised to be flexible on uniform or to allow a gender-neutral option that corresponds to the student’s identity, regardless of their sex assigned at birth.

Governors of single-sex schools are advised that there is nothing in equality law that prevents a single-sex school from accepting a transgender pupil.

The EA said while the guidance does not recommend a “one-size-fits-all” approach, it is designed to help school staff make decisions to support transgender pupils.

But Transgender NI expressed disappointment that the guidance is non-statutory, saying it believes all children and young people in schools here deserve strong protections and the guarantee of an inclusive school.

A spokesperson for the group said yesterday: “We support the efforts from the EA to increase the inclusion of transgender and non-binary young people within schools and youth services.

“We believe this guidance will provide schools and youth workers in Northern Ireland with the skills and ability to fully engage with trans inclusion.

“Although the guidance is not perfect, with notable room for improvement, we believe it will be a valuable resource for schools and a good measure to protect young trans and gender diverse people.

“We will continue to work with the EA to ensure that the guidance they issue operates within best practice, includes trans young people in education as much as possible and affirms their human rights.

“We will also be happy to work with schools individually to help meet this best practice.”

❝ We support efforts by the EA to increase the inclusion of transgender young people in schools