We use cookies where necessary to allow us to understand how people interact with our website and content, so that we can continue to improve our service.
We only ever receive anonymous information, and cannot track you across other websites.
View our privacy policy
What the Government’s consultation could mean for trans+ children and young people in schools.
The UK Government is consulting on significant changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). This is the statutory guidance that shapes how schools protect and support all children. We believe that all young people deserve to feel safe, seen, supported and included whilst attending school.
These proposals affect not just trans+ children, but the culture of inclusion and belonging that every child deserves to experience. For trans+ young people, the proposed changes are really concerning. It’s important that our community understands what is being proposed and has the chance to respond.
Here we break down the key parts of the proposed consultation that affect trans children and young people in schools, explain why they matter, and outline how you can respond before the consultation closes on 22 April 2026.
KCSIE is guidance that all schools and colleges in England must follow. It sets out how staff should keep children safe, share information, and respond to children’s needs. When it changes, it changes how schools behave in day-to-day ways that affect all children in education.
Socially transitioning in school means a child living in a way that reflects and affirms their gender identity. This can include using a different name, different pronouns, or different clothing. The proposed guidance steers away from framing this as a way schools can support a child’s wellbeing, and instead speaks of it as a risky “intervention” requiring careful management.
For younger children in primary school, the guidance says social transition should happen “very rarely.” For older pupils, there is slightly more flexibility, but even then, schools are being told to approach it with significant caution.
We know from evidence that feeling accepted and supported at school genuinely protects trans+ young people’s mental health and sense of belonging. Framing that support as something suspicious, risky or cautionary is likely to make many schools reluctant to offer it, even when it would clearly help a child. There is nothing wrong with being trans+ or gender-questioning, these feelings should be met with support systems rather than discouragement and hesitation.
The proposed guidance states that in all cases and without exceptions, schools must record a child’s biological sex and ensure all relevant staff are aware of it. Critically, the guidance does not require this information to be kept confidential.
This means a trans+ child could effectively be outed to staff and potentially to other students without their knowledge or consent. For children who are not out at home, this could put them at real risk of harm from unsupportive family members. We believe that every very child deserves control over who knows personal and private information about them.
The proposed guidance states that trans+ children must not use toilets, changing rooms, or other single-sex spaces that align with their gender identity. This applies in all schools, including boarding schools, and extends to single-sex sports. Schools are not required to offer any alternative arrangements, which could leave pupils refusing to use the bathroom, or using facilities where their safety is jeopardised.
This could leave some trans+ children with no safe or comfortable option at all. Being excluded from everyday spaces sends a painful message to a child about whether they belong and whether they are safe.
These proposed changes do not only affect trans+ children. The signals they send shape the school environment for every child. When schools are directed to treat gender identity as something to be managed rather than respected, it tells all children that difference is something to be contained.
It narrows the space in which any child can explore who they are, express themselves freely, and learn alongside peers who are different from them. Inclusion is not a resource that benefits only those directly targeted by exclusion, it strengthens the whole community. Schools that feel safe and affirming for trans+ young people are schools that are safer and more welcoming for everyone.
These proposed changes paint a picture that treats being trans+ as something to be managed and contained, rather than understood and supported. They move away from schools being able to make thoughtful, individual decisions in a child’s best interests, and toward blanket rules based solely on biological sex.
Trans+ children already face disproportionately high rates of bullying, anxiety, self harm and mental health challenges. Policies that increase their isolation and visibility are likely to make things significantly worse, not better. The proposed guidance would effectively remove the support structures that currently protect them.
We are concerned that these proposals would lead to more trans+ children experiencing mental health crises, more school absences, an increase in bullying, more families seeking alternative education, and a greater reluctance among trans+ young people to ask for help when they need it. That is a safeguarding failure, not a safeguarding success.
The Government is currently consulting on these proposed changes, which means there’s still an opportunity to have your say. Responses from trans+ people, their families, and those who work with and support them are incredibly important. The voices of our community need to be heard.
Submit your response to the Keeping Children Safe in Education: 2026 proposed revisions consultation. The consultation closes on 22nd April 2026 at 11:59pm.
Please share this with anyone who may want to respond. Parents, carers, teachers, governors, young people, and allies. Every response matters.
Take the first step with Anne.
We’re here to guide and support you with inclusive, gender-affirming care built around you.