Transgenderism: Jim Allister says it is time to overhaul official advice to Northern Ireland's teachers because it is 'anti-parent'

​The TUV leader has penned a message to the civil servant in charge of the Department of Education, Mark Browne, saying that the current advice to teachers is “agenda-driven” and “anti-parent”.

This has been sparked by a new set of official advice which teachers are getting in England.

It represents a huge sea change in attitudes to the issue: rather than calling on schools to automatically “affirm” a child’s declared new gender, the guidance in England (which is now out to consultation) says:

• Boys in primary school should not be addressed as girls (and vice-versa);

• In the case of secondary-level pupils, such requests should be granted only on “rare occasions” – and even if granted “no teacher or pupil should be compelled” to refer to a male pupil as "she” or “her” (and vice versa);

• If a boy wants to use the girls' changing rooms or toilets (and vice versa), instead of automatically granting this request the school should find “alternative arrangements” which do not undermine the single-sex nature of such facilities;

• If a boy wants to play on girls’ sports teams, this should be refused if it would impact the safety of the girls (and even where safety is not an issue, schools must strive to make sports “fair”);

• Girls-only schools will be under no obligation to accept non-female pupils, regardless of how they self-identify (and vice versa for boys-only schools);

• And schools should almost always keep parents fully informed if a child desires to switch gender.

This contrasts with the official advice to schools in Northern Ireland, which is much more closely aligned with the aims and language of transgender activists.

The 2021 NI guidance says “while some staff or parents may wish to know the pupil’s transgender status, this information is confidential; staff should not disclose a pupil’s preferred name, pronoun, or other confidential information relating to their transgender status to another parent or third party without the pupil’s permission”.

It also says: “Teachers and other staff working with young people should respect a young person’s wishes and use their preferred name/pronoun in everyday interactions.”

And when it comes to the issue of changing rooms and toilets, the Northern Irish advice is: “Where requested, staff should give a transgender pupil access to toilets which match their gender identity, unless there is a good reason not to do so.”

The law on gender-switching in the UK is governed by the Gender Recognition Act of 2004, which says that only those aged 18 and over can officially change their gender.

Nonetheless there has been a huge upsurge in the number of children self-identifying as the opposite gender, or as belonging to the new category “non-binary” (meaning neither male nor female).

"In light of the new transgender guidance issued to schools in England, will you now undertake to review the guidance in place in Northern Ireland?” Mr Allister has now asked the Department of Education.

"The present guidance is agenda-driven and anti-parent. It is time it was replaced. Please confirm your intentions.”

The Department of Education was contacted by the News Letter, but no response has been received at time of writing.