The National Education Union believes that every child and young person deserves to feel safe, respected and able to thrive in school.
As schools prepare to implement changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), it is important to be clear about the principles that must guide our education system.
First, schools must comply with the law. Schools and colleges have legal duties relating to safeguarding, equality and children's welfare. NEU members understand the importance of these responsibilities and will continue to act in accordance with the statutory framework governing their work. The union will support members to understand and implement their legal obligations, as we do across all aspects of education policy.
However, the publication of revised guidance so close to the start of the new academic year is deeply unhelpful. School leaders and staff need time to understand changes, review policies, consult with their communities and ensure procedures can be implemented effectively. Schools are already facing immense pressures. Government should provide clarity in a timely and considered way, not expect schools to navigate significant changes at the last minute.
Second, schools must implement the law while continuing to uphold the values that sit at the heart of education: equality, inclusion, respect and the wellbeing of every child.
The public discourse around trans+ rights have become increasingly polarised. In recent years we have witnessed a sustained and organised rise in transphobia, amplified through social media, parts of the press and political campaigning. Too often, trans and non-binary people, including children and young people, have been subjected to hostility, misinformation and dehumanising rhetoric.
Schools do not exist outside that wider social context. Educators are seeing the consequences in their classrooms and communities. Trans and non-binary pupils, and those questioning their gender identity, are among the young people affected by this climate. Like all children, they deserve to feel safe, valued and listened to at school.
The NEU's position is clear and has been repeatedly affirmed through our democratic structures. We oppose discrimination in all its forms. We support LGBT+ equality, including the rights of trans and non-binary people to live free from harassment, prejudice and exclusion. We believe schools should be places where every child is treated with dignity and respect.
Safeguarding and inclusion are not competing objectives. They are complementary responsibilities. Effective safeguarding requires schools to understand the individual circumstances of children and young people, assess risk appropriately and ensure pupils receive the support they need. Creating an environment in which children feel safe enough to speak openly about their experiences is a vital part of that responsibility.
Educators and school leaders need clarity, support and professional trust. They need access to training and specialist advice when complex issues arise. They need safeguarding and equality duties to work coherently together. Above all, they need the space to exercise professional judgement in the best interests of children and young people.
The reality facing schools is nuanced. Every child is different. Every family situation is different. Decisions affecting children should be grounded in evidence, safeguarding principles and professional expertise.
Schools have long played a central role in challenging prejudice. Just as educators challenge racism, sexism, homophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia and every other form of discrimination, they must also challenge transphobia wherever it occurs.
But schools cannot fulfil these responsibilities through guidance alone.
For too long, schools have been expected to respond to growing levels of need while facing sustained financial pressure, staffing shortages and cuts to external support services. Whether supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities, mental health needs, safeguarding concerns, experiences of discrimination or questions about identity, schools require the resources to provide appropriate support.
Every child deserves access to the help they need to flourish. That means properly funded schools, adequate staffing, access to specialist services and investment in children's mental health and wellbeing. Schools should not be placed in the impossible position of carrying ever-greater responsibilities without the funding needed to deliver them.
The NEU will continue to stand for an education system that protects children, challenges all forms of prejudice and provides every young person, including trans and non-binary young people, with the dignity, safety and support they deserve.
Schools must uphold the law. Government must provide clear and timely guidance. And society must reject transphobia wherever it appears.
Above all, every child must know that they belong, that they matter and that they will be treated with dignity and respect.