- Youngsters at school will be allowed to use gender-neutral lavatories at school
- Pupils at Gordon’s School can also be referred to my gender-neutral pronouns
- Comes after staff noticed students were ‘coming out’ after they left school
Boys at a top private school will be allowed to wear skirts and sleep in a girls’ boarding house if they question their gender identity.
Youngsters at Gordon’s School in Woking, Surrey, — whose patron is Elizabeth II — will also be allowed to be known by gender-neutral pronouns, such as ‘zie’ and use gender-neutral lavatories.
The school’s deputy head, Rob Parvis, said it had already allowed a boy to wear make-up, attend his prom in a dress and be addressed by a girl’s name.
‘Parents of pupils were surprised by how open-minded we have been. Most schools are having these issues’, he told the Sunday Times.
Youngsters at Gordon’s School in Woking, Surrey, will also be allowed to be known by gender-neutral pronouns, such as ‘zie’ and use gender-neutral lavatories
The school decided to act after becoming aware of students who would ‘come out’ after leaving — and wanted pupils to feel safe while in their care.
It comes after Andrew Fisher, the headteacher of Frensham Heights in Farnham, allowed a schoolgirl who was unsure about her gender to sleep in the boys’ dormitory.
Increasing numbers of children are today questioning their gender identity, with more than 2,000 under 18s having been referred to the Gender Identity Clinic in Tavistock, London, compared to just 100 eight years ago.
Guidance from the Boarding School’s Association advises that if a boy wishes to change gender then he should be offered a chance to sleep in the girls’ dormitory and vice versa
Parents at Highgate – a coeducational London private day school – received letters from head teacher Adam Pettitt, apologising for the introduction of gender-neutral lavatories
Guidance from the Boarding School’s Association advises that if a boy wishes to change gender then he should be offered a chance to sleep in the girls’ dormitory and vice versa.
However not all parents are happy about the rapidly-changing landscape of gender and identification.
Parents at Highgate – a coeducational London private day school – received letters from head teacher Adam Pettitt, apologising for the introduction of gender-neutral lavatories.
He admitted that some younger pupils felt ‘less comfortable and happy at school’ as a result.