Guidance for
Schools andColleges: Gender
Questioning Children
Government consultation

Launch date 19 December 2023
Respond by 12 March 2024
1

Contents
Introduction

3

Who this is for

3

Issue date3

Enquiries

3

Additional copies

4

The response

4

About this consultation

5

Rationale and guiding principles

5

Respond online

5

Other ways to respond

6

Deadline

6

Consultation themes and questions

7

Privacy and Confidentiality

7

Privacy Notice7

Confidentiality Notice7

About you

8

Introductory Questions

10

Structure and overall guidance

11

Responding to Requests and Engaging parents

12

Registration of Name and Sex

14

Changing Names

15

Pronouns

16

Single-Sex Spaces

17

Uniform

19

Physical Education and Sport

20

Single-sex schools

21

Public Sector Equality Duty [PSED]

22

General232Introduction
The aim of this guidance will be to provide practical advice to schools and colleges tohelp them make decisions in relation to gender-questioning children. The guidance will
be non-statutory.

Who this is for
The guidance is aimed at:
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Governing bodies of maintained schools (including schools with a sixth form) andnon-maintained special schools;
Trustees or directors of academies and free schools;
Proprietors of independent schools (including academies and free schools);
Management committees of pupil referral units (PRUs);
Teachers, other school staff and school nurses;
Head teachers, principals, designated safeguarding leads, SENCOs, and seniorleadership teams;
Diocese and other faith representatives involved in the management andsupervision of schools; andfor reference for relevant local authority staff.

The guidance is also aimed at institutions within the “further education sector”, definedby the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, comprising:•••further education colleges;
sixth-form colleges;
institutions designated as being within the further education sector by that Act.

These bodies have obligations under Part 6 of the Equality Act and are referred to as‘colleges.’

Issue date
The consultation was issued on 19th December 2023.

Enquiries
If your enquiry is related to the policy content of the consultation you can contact theteam by email on:
gqcguidance.consultation@education.gov.uk

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If your enquiry is related to the DfE e-consultation website or the consultation process ingeneral, you can contact the DfE Ministerial and Public Communications Division byemail: Consultations.Coordinator@education.gov.uk or by telephone: 0370 000 2288 or
via the DfE Contact us page.

Additional copies
Additional copies are available electronically and can be downloaded from GOV.UK DfE
consultations.

The response
The results of the consultation and the department's response will be published on
GOV.UK in 2024.

4

About this consultation
The Department is seeking views on the following:
The consultation is seeking views on the content of the guidance and whether it will help
to support schools and colleges, teachers and leaders to make considered and lawful
decisions in relation to children who are questioning their gender and the wider school
and college community.

Rationale and guiding principles
The aim of this guidance is to support schools and colleges when making decisions in
the interest of the child, taking into account the interests of the wider school and college
community. Within that context, we have carefully considered where a school or college
may require guidance and direction on the issues arising in relation to children who arequestioning their gender.
This guidance provides practical advice, which we expect schools and colleges to follow
in response to requests for changes from children who are questioning their gender. It
aims to support them to make lawful decisions based on individual circumstances. It will
also help parents understand what schools and colleges can and can’t accommodate.
This guidance focuses on how gender questioning children are treated whilst they are atschool or college, it does not cover what children are taught about the topic of gender
reassignment. The Department will include further guidance on this teaching as part ofits updated statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). A
draft of the revised RSHE statutory guidance will be subject to a separate consultation,
which we will publish at the earliest opportunity.
We are particularly seeking views through this consultation to test whether the scope ofthe guidance is right, and whether it covers all the necessary considerations for schools
and colleges. We are also seeking views on whether the guidance provides enoughpractical support for schools and colleges.
Please read the draft guidance before completing the questions below

Respond online
To help us analyse the responses please use the online system wherever possible. Visit
DfE consultations on GOV.UK to submit your response.

5Other ways to respondIf for exceptional reasons, you are unable to use the online system, for example
because you use specialist accessibility software that is not compatible with the system,
you may request and complete a word document version of the form.
By email•

gqcguidance.consultation@education.gov.uk

By postConsultation Response - Guidance for schools and colleges: gender questioning
children.
Department for Education
Life Skills Division
Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT

Deadline
The consultation closes on 12th March 2024.

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Consultation themes and questions
Privacy and Confidentiality
Privacy Notice
The personal data (name and address and any other identifying material) that you
provide in response to this consultation is processed by the Department for Education
as a data controller in accordance with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018,
and your personal information will only be used for the purposes of this consultation.
The Department for Education relies upon the lawful basis of article 6 (1) (e) of the UK
GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when this is necessary for conducting
consultations as part of our function. We may share information we hold about you withcertain organisations, where the law allows it or we have a legal obligation to do so.
There may be some circumstances where we’ll need to share information about you
with others without your consent. For example, this might be to prevent or detect acrime, or to produce anonymised statistics for research purposes. In all cases, we’ll
comply with the Data Protection Act 2018.
The personal information will be retained for a period of 12 months following the closureof the consultation period, after which it will be securely destroyed. You can read more
about what the Department for Education does when we ask for and hold your personal
information in our personal information charter, which can be found here: Personal
information charter - Department for Education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Confidentiality Notice
Information provided in response to consultations, including personal information, may
be subject to publication or disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, theData Protection Act 2018 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. If you
want all, or any part, of a response to be treated as confidential, please explain why you
consider it to be confidential. If a request for disclosure of the information you haveprovided is received, your explanation about why you consider it confidential will betaken into account, but no assurance can be given that confidentiality can be
maintained. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not,of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.

7About you
Confidentiality Questions
This section is all about you / your organisation and where you are from.
1. Are you responding to this consultation as an:[ ] Organisation, for example, a charity, school/college or think tank (tick box)
Or[ ] Individual (tick box)
2. If you are responding as part of an organisation, would you prefer your response
was kept confidential?
[ ] Yes (tick box)
[ ] No (tick box)
[ ] N/A (tick box)
3. If you are responding as an individual, are you responding as (please select all that
apply):[ ] A parent or carer[ ] A teacher[ ] A student[ ] A school or college leader[ ] A school or college governor[ ] A designated safeguarding lead[ ] A student support or pastoral care team member[ ] A medical professional[ ] N/A[ ] Other, please specify
4. If you are responding to this consultation as an organisation, are you responding as:[ ] A school[ ] A college[ ] An academy trust[ ] A local authority[ ] A union[ ] A charity[ ] N/A[ ] Other, please specify
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5. Are you responding to the consultation with an interest in:
Please tick all that apply[ ] Primary schools[ ] Secondary schools[ ] Faith schools[ ] Alternative provision/special schools[ ] School sixth forms[ ] FE college[ ] Sixth form college[ ] Designated institutions

6. If you want all, or any part, of your response to be treated confidentially in response
to a freedom of information request, please explain why you consider it to be
confidential.
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words.
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.

9

Introductory Questions
This section is all about you.
Age
7. If you are responding as an individual, are you:[ ] Over 18[ ] Under 18
8. What is your sex?
[ ] Female[ ] Male
9. Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Prefer not to say
10. Where are you based?
[ ] England[ ] Wales[ ] Scotland[ ] Northern Ireland[ ] Other (please specify)

10Structure and overall guidanceThis section covers overall structure of the guidance and asks about what your views
are and possible implementation issues for schools and colleges.
11. Do you think the structure of the guidance is easy to follow?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
12. If you answered no, how could the structure of the guidance change to make iteasier to follow?
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words.
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.
13. Does this guidance provide practical advice to support schools and colleges to meettheir duties effectively?
[ ] Yes[ ] No14. If you answered no, how could we improve deliverability placed on schools andcolleges whilst still providing for schools to meet their duties?
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words.
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.

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Responding to Requests and Engaging parents
This section covers parents and carers involvement and asks for your views.
15. Does this section provide enough detail to help schools and colleges support
children?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
16. If you answered no, in which of the following areas do schools and colleges needfurther guidance to support a child? [tick all that apply][ ] How schools and colleges should involve parents in decisions[ ] How schools and colleges should manage engagement with parents with different
feelings or views to their child[ ] When schools and colleges should seek specialist advice or support[ ] How schools should put in place a ‘watchful waiting’ period before acting on a child’srequest[ ] How schools and colleges can identify what issues may impact the wider school orcollege community[ ] How schools and colleges should handle decisions that impact on the wider school
and college community.
[ ] The law[ ] Something else
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.
17. Think about the points outlined for schools and colleges to consider on pages 9-11
regarding making decisions about how to respond to requests for social transition.
Are these points helpful?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
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18. If you answered no, what considerations would be more helpful for schools andcolleges to consider? For example, when assessing whether to support a childwishing to socially transition, do you think different weight should be given to theviews of parents, the age of the child, the long- and short-term impacts on the child,the impact on other children, and any relevant clinical or medical advice?
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words.
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.

13

Registration of Name and Sex
This section covers how schools record the name and sex of pupils and asks for yourviews related to how schools record the name and sex of a gender questioning pupil.
19. Does this section on page 12 provide enough detail for schools and colleges toensure each child is recorded correctly and according to the Education Act 1996,
Pupil Registration (England) Regulations 2006, GDPR and the Data Protection Act?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
20. If you answered no, what further information should be included to help schools andcolleges?
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.

14

Changing Names
This section covers names and asks for your views related to a gender questioning
child’s request to change their name.
21. Does this section on page 12 provide enough detail for schools and colleges to
respond to a child’s requests to change their name?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
22. If you answered no, in which of the following areas do schools and colleges needfurther guidance to respond to a child’s requests to change their name? [tick all that
apply][ ] How schools and colleges should make a decision about a child’s request to change
their name[ ] When schools and colleges might refuse a request in relation to a child changing their
name[ ] How schools and colleges should involve parents in a decision about a child’srequest to change their name[ ] How schools and colleges should make relevant staff and other children aware of any
agreed changes to name[ ] What factors schools and colleges should take into account.
[ ] How schools and colleges should respond to other children and staff who do not wish
to use a different name[ ] The law[ ] Something else
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.

15

Pronouns
This section covers pronouns and asks for your views related to a child who isquestioning their gender and makes a request to change their pronouns.
23. Does this section on page 13 provide enough detail for schools and colleges to
respond to a child’s requests to change their pronouns?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
24. If you answered no, in which of the following areas do schools and colleges needfurther guidance to respond to a child’s requests to change their pronouns? [tick allthat apply][ ] When schools and colleges should refuse a request in relation to a child changing
their pronouns[ ] What factors schools and colleges should take into account.
[ ] How schools and colleges should involve parents in a decision about a child’srequest to change their pronouns[ ] How schools and colleges should make relevant staff and other children aware of any
agreed changes to pronouns[ ] How schools and colleges should respond to other children and staff who do not wish
to use different pronouns[ ] The law[ ] Something else
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.

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Single-Sex Spaces - Toilets, Changing Rooms and Showers andBoarding and Residential Accommodation
This section covers toilets, changing rooms and showers and asks about its clarity.
25. Does this section on pages 14 and 15 provide enough detail for schools andcolleges to respond when a child who is questioning their gender makes a request touse facilities (e.g. toilets, changing rooms, showers and boarding and residential
accommodation) designated for the opposite sex?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
26. If you answered no, in which of the following areas do schools and colleges needfurther guidance? [tick all that apply][ ] How schools and colleges should make a decision about a child’s request not to use
facilities designated for their sex[ ] When schools and colleges have to refuse a request in relation to a child using
facilities designated for the opposite sex.
[ ] How schools and colleges should involve parents in a decision about a child’srequest not to use facilities designated for their sex[ ] What factors should be considered when deciding whether to offer alternative
facilities[ ] Toilets[ ] Changing rooms[ ] Boarding and residential accommodation[ ] The law[ ] Something else
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.
27. Think about the circumstances provided in the guidance on pages 14 and 15,
outlining the option for schools and colleges to find alternative facilities. Does theguidance provide enough support to help schools and colleges determine how tooffer alternative facilities?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
If you answered no, what more information would you need?
17Please try to limit your response to under 250 words.
28. Does this section provide enough detail for schools and colleges to support children
who do not wish to use accommodation that is designated for their sex in relation toboarding and overnight accommodation?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
29. If you answered no, in which of the following areas do schools and colleges needfurther guidance? [tick all that apply][ ] How schools and colleges should make decisions about requests to access boarding
and overnight accommodation designated for children of the opposite sex[ ] When schools and colleges should refuse a child’s request to use different boarding
and overnight accommodation while on a school or college trip
[ ] How schools and colleges should involve parents in a child’s request to use different
boarding and overnight accommodation while on a school or college trip
[ ] The law[ ] Something else
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.

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Uniform
This section covers uniforms in schools and colleges and asks you about your views on
uniforms in relation to children questioning their gender.
30. Does this section on page 16 provide enough detail for schools and colleges to
respond to a gender-questioning child who makes a request in relation to uniform?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
31. If you answered no, in which of the following areas do schools and colleges needfurther guidance to respond to a gender-questioning child, who makes a request in
relation to uniform? [tick all that apply][ ] How schools and colleges should make a decision about a gender questioning child
who makes a request in relation to uniform[ ] When schools and colleges might refuse a request in relation to a child wearing a
different uniform[ ] How schools and colleges should involve parents in a decision about a genderquestioning child who requests an exception to uniform requirements.
[ ] How a school or college might accommodate a request within their uniform policy[ ] How schools and colleges should make relevant staff and other children in the schoolor college aware of any changes agreed.
[ ] The law[ ] Something else

Please try to limit your response to under 250 words.
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.

19

Physical Education and Sport
This section covers your views on how the guidance will support teachers in relation tochildren who are questioning their gender and PE and sport in schools and colleges.
32. Does this section on page 17 provide enough information on what to do if a genderquestioning child asks to participate in a certain sport or activity with the opposite
sex?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
33. If you answered no, in which of the following areas do schools and colleges needfurther guidance to support children taking part in PE or sport? [tick all that apply][ ] How schools and colleges should make a decision about whether a child can takepart in a certain sport or activity[ ] When schools and colleges should refuse a request in relation to a child taking part ina certain sport or activity[ ] How schools and colleges should involve parents in a decision about a child’srequest to participate in a certain sport or activity[ ] How schools and colleges should make relevant staff and children aware of any
changes agreed[ ] The law[ ] Something else
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.
34. Think about the circumstances provided in the guidance on page 15, outlining theneed for fairness and safety in PE or sport. Does the guidance provide enoughsupport to help schools and colleges determine what is fair and safe?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
35. If you answered no, what further support should be included to help schools andcolleges determine what is fair and safe in PE or sport?
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.
20

Single-sex schools
This section asks about your views on how the guidance covers admissions to singlesex schools.
36. Does the guidance on the application of the Equality Act to admissions to single sex
schools on page 18 provide enough information to support single sex schools inmaking decisions about the admission of children who are questioning their gender?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
37. If you answered no, in which of the following areas do schools and colleges needfurther guidance to support effective decisions on the admission of children who arequestioning their gender [tick all that apply][ ] The law[ ] Something else
Please try to limit your response to under 250 words
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.
38. To individuals responding who work in, or represent single-sex schools:
Has your single-sex school previously had to make a decision on the admission to yourschool of a child of the opposite sex (regardless of whether or not the school admitted
the child)?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
39. If yes, was that child questioning their gender?
[ ] Yes[ ] No[ ] Don’t know
Please do not add any details which may easily identify you or your organisation.
21

Public Sector Equality Duty [PSED]
40. Do you have any comments regarding the potential impact of the guidance on those
who share a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, whether negativeor positive? How could any adverse impact be reduced and are there any otherways we could advance equality of opportunity or foster good relations between
those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not?
Please give reasons for your answer and try to limit your response to under 250
words

22

General
41. Do you have any comments on the overall approach of the guidance?
[ ] Yes[ ] NoIf yes, please detail below and try to limit your response to under 250 words.
42. Do you have any further comments you would like to share on the draft of theguidance that have not been captured above?
[ ] Yes[ ] NoIf yes, please detail below and try to limit your response to under 250 words.
The Department will review and update related guidance in line with this guidance when
it is published such as the Equality Act guidance.

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