Teachers in England will not be made to inform parents if pupils come to them with questions about gender identity under new government guidance due to be published this week.
Despite a push from Conservative rightwingers who have argued for a blanket approach, the decision has been made to keep some protections in place so that children are not automatically “outed” to their parents.
However, schools will be expected to inform parents if pupils inform them of their intention to take steps towards transitioning.
Rishi Sunak had initially pledged to deliver the controversial guidance by the end of the summer term but months of internal arguments led to its delay, including discussions over whether the guidance was compatible with the equalities law.
While that may have enraged the right of the party, Tory insiders have suggested that Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, has no intention of changing the law to drive through changes.
The government had initially considered an outright ban on social transitioning, which is when children change their pronouns, names and uniform but have not begun the medical process of transitioning.
However, it was decided that this would require new legislation, while an absolute ban on primary school transitioning in this way was also found to potentially breach equality law.
The new guidance is expected to advise schools to maintain separate changing rooms and toilets, while plans for children to have to see a doctor before being allowed to socially transition have been dropped due to NHS capacity.
It will be subject to a 12-week consultation period first and will not come into effect in classrooms until next spring, ahead of the next general election.
