Teachers have been ordered not to tell parents if their under-age children are identifying as a different gender. Staff at a West Dunbartonshire high school received an email from the head teacher warning them they should not be divulging the information even about 12-year-olds.
Pupils can ask staff to address them by a new name and pronouns, meaning youngsters born female will be referred to as “he” or “him” and vice-versa, while also taking on a new name. But as a result of controversial Scottish Government guidance many local authorities actively conceal the information from parents if the child doesn’t want them to know as the guidance states transgender is “not a child protection or wellbeing issue”.
A Sunday Mail investigation has found serious variations in how the policy is applied across the country. And teachers who spoke anonymously to us have raised concerns. One said: “There are some classes with several children as young as 12 who have said they want to be known by a new name and pronouns. It is an issue affecting an increasingly large number of young people.
“An email was sent out before parents’ night making clear the information was not to be given to the guardians of at least one S1 pupil as they didn’t want them to know. These are 12-year-olds, not even teenagers, some of whom can be struggling in a variety of ways. Many staff are concerned that this is not the correct course of action.”
Another said: “We are in a very strange position where a 16-year-old child in S5 who wants to change their Higher subjects can’t do so without parental consent but a 12-year-old in S1 can change their gender and the information will be actively concealed from their parents.
“If something was to happen to one of these children and a parent found out this information was kept from them while being circulated to hundreds of teachers and staff they would be understandably furious. Teachers who don’t have strong feelings on the trans debate just think this feels wrong.”
Nicola Sturgeon is under mounting pressure on her gender ID policies after a ministerial resignation and party rebellion. Her guidance to schools states: “A transgender young person may not have told their family about their gender identity. Inadvertent disclosure could cause needless stress for the young person or could put them at risk and breach legal requirements.
“Therefore, it is best to not share information with parents or carers without considering and respecting the young person’s views and rights.” A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council said it was following Scottish Government guidance.
She said: “The safety and wellbeing of pupils is our priority and any personal information shared with school staff is carefully managed. In line with national guidance and the Getting it Right For Every Child approach, a young person must give consent before any confidential information can be shared with parents or carers.”
Across the country, some councils said parents and carers are informed for children under 16, while others said they would assess it “case by case”. Glasgow City Council said it followed Scottish Government guidance while Western Isles Council said it had no formal policy. A South Lanarkshire Council spokesman said: “Teachers should respect a young person’s wishes and use the name/pronoun they’ve asked to be used.
“If a young person wants the school to record the change of name and or pronoun formally, they, with their parents or carers if under 16, should write to the school to instruct this.” Councils in the Highlands and East Lothian also said they followed Scottish Government guidance.
Elaine Gallagher, Glasgow’s first transgender councillor and Green party representative for Southside Central, said: “Kids know their immediate family a lot better than they are generally given credit for. If they suspect their parents or other members of the family will react badly they could well be reluctant to tell them they are exploring gender.
“School might feel like a safer space to try on the fit of being addressed with different pronouns and it’s a
relationship that they will be moving away from eventually, whereas birth family you’re stuck with. I know people who have come out to me where they have stayed closeted from family and people who’ve had bad or even violent reactions from family if they came out or were outed.
“From a trans point of view and also personally, I’m inclined to believe the kid knows how their parents will react if they are outed and to support them.” But East Lothian MP Kenny MacAskill said: “This is absurd. These are often troubled children. They need support. That must include their parents who are pivotal to their care.”
The Scottish Government is trying to change the law to make it easier for trans people to legally change gender. But seven of Sturgeon’s own MSPs voted against her Gender Recognition Reform Bill in October over fears women’s rights could be compromised.
They included Ash Regan, who quit as community safety minister, saying that her “conscience would not allow me to vote for a bill where I could not be 100 per cent certain that women and girls would not be in danger”. Meanwhile, there have been calls to shut down Scotland’s only gender clinic for kids after it emerged staff had raised concerns about the site.
Over the past five years whistle-blowers at the Sandyford Clinic in Glasgow have submitted reports to senior clinicians about the running of the sexual health hub for under-18s as well as adults, documents reveal. It emerged staff prescribed puberty blockers to kids as young as nine and referred patients for irreversible sex-change surgery despite a senior clinician admitting its methods are not backed by “robust evidence”.
The First Minister has refused to launch an investigation into Sandyford despite critics highlighting its services are nearly identical to those offered by the Tavistock clinic in London which was shut down following a damning review by Dr Hilary Cass in February. The SNP leader has earmarked £9million of taxpayers’ money this year to slash waiting times for gender clinics across the country.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Scotland’s education system has been founded on the principles of equity and excellence for all learners and we must support everyone to reach their full potential. The Supporting Transgender Young People in Schools guidance supports all schools to deliver a safe, supportive environment, regardless of gender, and ensure that everyone’s rights are respected.
“Children’s rights, including their right to privacy, are fundamental foundations of a child’s education. This guidance provides practical measures for schools to ensure every single child’s rights are respected. This includes guidance on the use of pronouns and support for families.
“The guidance is clear that schools should support young people who are considering their identity. This is an individual’s choice, it is not for schools to influence or determine a young person’s choice but to support them once it is established that a young person is considering their identity.”
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