Pupils as young as 14 told transitioning gender would stop bullying

Parents’ fury as children as young as 14 are told in sex education classes that transitioning gender would stop pupils from getting bullied and puberty is optional

• School materials used which have pupil saying bullying stopped after transition
• Campaigners said it tells vulnerable teens transition is ‘silver bullet’ to problems

Furious parents have claimed that teaching material use in sex education classes for children as young as 14 tells pupils that transition gender would stop them getting bullied.

The content produced by education consultancy Chameleon PDE says that puberty can be optional and that there are seven genders, a report claimed.

Included in the material is a presentation on gender diversity which tells the story of Tom, who had transitioned from being known as Tina May, who said that they were no longer bullied at school after transition gender.

In the story Tom says that he was upset after being put in the same tutorial group as a ‘mean kid’ but that ‘once I’d transitioned at school, the bullying stopped’.

Tom said that there were ‘whisperings and stares at first’ but that his transition eventually become ‘old news’.

Furious parents have claimed that teaching material use in sex education classes for children as young as 14 tells pupils that transition gender would stop them getting bullied (file photo)

Parents and campaigners have criticised the teaching resources, saying that it effectively tells vulnerable teens that transitioning their gender is a ‘silver bullet’ to stop bullies, the Telegraph reports.

James Esses, the co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists, a clinicians group who are concerned about healthcare given to trans children, told the paper that implying that feeling different from classmates or being bullied ‘can be solved by coming out as trans is reckless’.

He said that children should instead be taught about self-acceptance rather than ‘fundamentally change’ who they are.

Mr Esses said that society should stop teaching children that transition is a ‘silver bullet’ to any issues they face.

A parent, who reportedly claimed that this material had been taught at the child’s school, said that children were being taught: ‘I won’t be bullied anymore when I turn trans.’

They said schools were not dealing with bullying policies and instead teaching children to go down a surgical or medical pathway.

Tanya Carter, from the Safe Schools Alliance told the paper that implying transitioning is an answer to bullying is ‘very irresponsible’ and that they were ‘appalled’ to find out schools were using the materials.

In the presentation produced by Chameleon, Tom decides against using puberty blockers after consulting with a GP – but the slide does say it is an ‘option’.

The consultancy say on their website that their clients include several schools and local councils, including Hull City Council and Borough Council. 

The ‘gender diversity’ presentation, which comes with a number of other resources, is included in a subscription which costs £360 for the first year, and £180 for following years.

Parents and campaigners have criticised the teaching resources, saying that it effectively tells vulnerable teens that transitioning their gender is a ‘silver bullet’ to stop bullies (file photo)

Angela Milliken-Tull, co-founder of Chameleon PDE, told the Telegraph: ‘We follow current Department for Education (DfE) guidance for statutory relationships, health and sex education when writing material.

‘We allow schools to edit our materials and we constantly update lesson packs as things change.

‘We don’t receive any government funding. We have an extensive library that covers the much wider PSHE curriculum that allows young people to critically examine a whole range of current issues.

‘We have deliberately chosen to design a library of optional resources that allows schools to bespoke their PSHE to the needs of their students. Within the library of over 200 lesson packs, only two focus on gender diversity, the lesson pack quoted and a similar one for post-16 students. Schools would only use these lessons if they felt it was appropriate for the needs of their pupils.

‘We appreciate that this is a fast-changing landscape and our 25 years of experience in this area has taught us that nothing stays still in this area for long. We will update our materials accordingly in line with the government review of RSHE [relationships, sex and health education]. We have no affiliations to either of the groups quoted.’

A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘As part of the current review of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum, we will be looking at introducing age ratings and making sure teaching materials are high-quality and compliant with guidelines in order to keep children safe.

‘We are clear that schools must make sure all content they use is factual and age-appropriate, and engage with parents they are aware of what their children are being taught.

‘The Education Secretary is working closely with the Minister for Women and Equalities to publish guidance for schools for the summer term on how to respond to children who are questioning their gender identity.’

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