Children’s commissioner calls for urgent clarity on schools’ trans policy after Sunak ‘U-turn’

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Children’s Commissioner has called for urgent clarity on trans policies in schools after Rishi Sunak was said to be considering scrapping plans to ban children changing gender in the classroom. open image in gallery Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has urged for urgent guidance on trans policies for schools Draft guidance was previously reported to state that children should be allowed to socially transition – by, for example, choosing another pronoun – with their parents’ consent, but ministers later considered bringing in a new law to ban it. They’re all talking to me about the need for this clarity, so I think we need to see it as soon as possible.” She said that while, from her past experience as a headteacher, schools always try to do their “pastoral best”, there is a need for clear guidance on what the standard approach should be. So I absolutely need that guidance out to children, families and schools as soon as possible, for clarity, for fairness and for good safeguarding.” Asked what she feels the guidance should contain, she said: “As a headteacher of many years, in schools for 32 years, I’ve worked with children and families with a number of cases around the trans issue, and what you try to do is your pastoral best and your care for any individual child, but I think now, where the situation is, we need absolute clear guidance and that’s what I want to see.” Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has previously said schools “should always involve parents in decisions relating to their child, and should not agree to any changes that they are not absolutely confident are in the best interests of that child and their peers”.