In its 2018 LGBT Action Plan, the UK government made a commitment to publishing updated guidance for schools on how to apply the Equality Act 2010 regarding gender-questioning pupils. In July 2019 it was further announced that the Equalities and Human Rights Commission was developing guidance for schools on supporting transgender pupils (Long & Loft, 2020). The DfE (2022) stated that it is ‘vital that staff endeavour to reduce the additional barriers faced [for children questioning their assigned gender] and provide a safe space to speak out or share their concerns with members of staff’ (no. 204). However, as of June 2023, no further guidance has been published.
Statistics show that 78 per cent of North American students who disclose their gender variances at school suffer some sort of harassment and 35 per cent experience physical harassment (Grant et al., 2011). In the European context, a survey showed that 46.2 per cent of gender non-conforming young people suffered harassment within educational contexts in Spain (Devís-Devís et al., 2017).
Teachers are increasingly faced with professional dilemmas every day in schools. The need for pupils to move and exercise remains central to wellbeing and lifelong learning (Bushell-Thornalley, 2021). So, how do professionals negotiate the needs of gender-questioning young people when the bell rings and they need to support 30-plus children to get changed, head out to a sports field or studio, and undertake meaningful physical activity?
