Kent and Barnsley join other councils in withdrawing trans guidance

Kent and Barnsley Councils have joined other local authorities in dropping controversial guidance on transgender issues in schools.

The ‘Kent Trans Inclusion Guidance for Schools and Settings’ was developed in 2016 for use by schools and other settings working with children. It was accessible on The Education People (TEP)’s website.

In an email exchange with a concerned citizen, TEP’s Gille Heath said: “In response to questions raised as to the legality of the Guidance, this was taken down on 15 May and is now under review.”

‘Legality’

Adam Hibbert, who initially contacted Kent County Council about the guidance before the query was passed on to TEP, said he was grateful for the swift removal of the toolkit.

Before he received the response, he said: “I’m confident we are all focused on doing the right thing for the schoolkids of Kent, in accordance with the law”.

Parent group Transgender Trend commented: “Kent was using guidance based on the Allsorts trans inclusion schools toolkit. They have withdrawn it for review due to questions about its legality. As most councils use a version of this guide, all should follow suit.”

It is reported that just days later, Doncaster and Barnsley Councils also dropped their guidance amid the concerns over its legality. These latest recalls follow similar guidance being pulled in Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Shropshire over recent weeks.

Other toolkits

Last week, Shropshire County Council withdrew its own controversial guidance on transgenderism for schools and colleges and asked them to stop using the advice.

The document, ‘Guidance for schools and colleges on transgender and supporting transgender pupils’, said that pupils should have the “right” to use the toilets which match their so-called gender identity, and should be allowed to access the changing rooms of the opposite sex.

Earlier this month, Oxfordshire Council’s ‘Trans Inclusion Toolkit for Schools 2019’ was also withdrawn amid pressure from parents and an impending court case.

In March, lawyers representing Warwickshire County Council told The Christian Institute that it was dropping its explicit and misleading All About Me programme following the Institute’s threat of legal action.