Enoch Burke Westmeath trans row: Some teachers and children uneasy with policies in Northern Ireland schools

The information – from the National Educational Union (NEU) and the Children’s Commissioner – has come to light in the wake of the case of teacher Enoch Burke in Co Westmeath.

He was jailed in September for breaching an order preventing him attending his school after a conflict over transgender policies.

The Education Authority says around 70 NI children have been referred to the Gender Identity Development Service annually since 2014 for support with their gender identity.

Education Authority guidance for teachers who do not comply with trans pronouns and names is that their behaviour is “unacceptable and could infringe the young person’s rights".

But Mark Langhammer, Regional Secretary of the NEU says some teachers are uneasy about this.

"We did receive some concerns last year about the Education Authority guidance which related to fears around ‘protected space’ for women teachers," he told the News Letter.

"For the most part, teachers seek pragmatic guidance on how best to sympathetically guide matters as they arise."

But he added: "We have come across teachers who, for genuine matters of conscience, are uneasy about the guidance and the subject generally. If members are asked or instructed to undertake tasks that run against their conscience we urge them to contact us."

Children's Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma has seen "some excellent examples where children feel valued and respected for who they are" in NI schools.

"In other cases, schools are denying requests from young people to wear a different uniform or be called by another name,” she told the News Letter.

But asked how situations should be handled if a teacher feels unable to use trans terminology, she replied: “All children have an absolute right to be educated in an environment where they are valued and their identity, including the gender that they identify as, is respected.”

Aisling Playford, Advocacy and Policy Manager with the Rainbow Project, says that 75% of pupils who describe themselves as transgender report negative experiences in schools, including "invisibility, transphobic bullying, traditional gendered uniforms" and lack of appropriate facilities.

"This resulted in experiences of depression, isolation and students wishing not to engage with education,” she added.

Justin McCamphill, National Official for the NASUWT union, said it expects employers "will ensure that all staff and pupils are aware of how a trans person wishes to be addressed".

However his union could not support a teacher who has difficulties using trans terminology "as that would impinge on the human dignity of the trans person".

Asked if it could support a teacher who had difficulties with trans terminology, Ulster Teachers Union Deputy Secretary Stephen McCord replied that the teaching profession "constantly strives to ensure that the human and legal rights of every child are upheld".

However he did not offer any direct answer to the question.

Human Rights lawyer Roger Kiska recently told the News Letter that it is legally forbidden from discriminating against teachers who feel they cannot use trans terminology.

The NAHT and INTO unions declined to offer any comment.