School leaders have criticised the government's failure to publish long-promised transgender guidance for schools in England, warning that pupils and staff are left without support amid an internal ministerial dispute. Rishi Sunak had pledged that the guidance would be issued by the end of the summer term, but No 10 said this week that "more evidence is required" before publication.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the delay was "frustrating" and left schools to navigate a complex and sensitive issue entirely on their own. "We have been telling the government that schools and colleges need clear guidance on provision for transgender and gender-questioning pupils for the past five years," he said. "It is frustrating that it has now got to the point of producing something but appears to be locked in an internal political squabble."
The prime minister's spokesperson defended the delay, saying: "Teachers want clear guidance that is workable in school settings. But this is a sensitive area. We do feel more evidence is required before we publish the guidance." The statement comes amid rising numbers of children questioning their gender, with school leaders repeatedly calling for clarity.
The guidance has been held up by a disagreement between ministers. The Times reported that Kemi Badenoch, the minister for women and equalities, is pushing for a ban on social transitioning by pupils, preventing transgender children from using a different name, pronoun, or wearing the uniform of the opposite gender. However, legal advice from the attorney general, Victoria Prentis, is said to have found such a ban unlawful under the Equality Act, potentially requiring new legislation. An attorney general's office spokesperson said legal advice was not disclosed without consent, which was "rarely given".
Badenoch has said the guidance will compel schools to inform parents if their child is questioning their gender, arguing: "What is right is that parents know what is going on with their children at school." But the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, declined to give a date for publication, telling MPs she was working with Badenoch to produce it "in the near term". The impasse raises the possibility that the guidance could be delayed until after the general election, or that the government may drop the controversial measures to ensure publication.
