Archbishop urged to bin trans guidance for schools
CHRISTIAN parents have urged the Archbishop of Canterbury to withdraw Church of England guidance that states children can change gender in school.
Parents have written to the Most Rev Justin Welby asking him to scrap Valuing All God’s Children”, which advises schools on how to create an inclusive environment for “trans- gender” pupils.
The guidance states: “The protected characteristic of gender reassignment only works one way – not being transgender is not a protected characteristic.
“Consequently schools can make adjustments to meet the needs of a trans pupil without being accused of discriminating against non-trans pupils.”
The letter to Archbishop Welby is signed by Nigel and Sally Rowe, who claimed in 2017 that a Church of England primary school had said their sixyear-old son would be deemed transphobic if he did not recognise another boy as a little girl.
The parents, who are being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, brought a legal challenge against the Department for Education. The Gov- ernment settled the case in 2022 and committed to reviewing transgender policies in schools.
Guidance, first produced by Cornwall council and shared with schools across the country, had advised head teachers to install gender-neutral lavatories and allow pupils to wear clothes “they feel are reflective of their gender identity, rather than their biological sex”.
The letter comes after The Telegraph revealed that a Church of England primary school in the South East of England allowed a four-year-old boy to join as a girl. His classmates only discovered his biological sex three years later, leaving a group of seven-year-old girls traumatised, according to a parent of one child at the school.