Girls at Church of England school traumatized after trans-identified boy exposes his 'willy'
A Church of England primary school in the southeast of England has sparked controversy by allowing a 4-year-old boy to enroll as a girl, leading to distress among students and parents. The child’s true sex was initially concealed from classmates, resulting in confusion and trauma when it was revealed.
The situation has drawn the attention of high-ranking government officials. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Women and Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch have expressed concerns and intend to intervene, according to The Telegraph.
Badenoch said the school’s actions might contravene new government guidance, emphasizing that social transitioning is unsuitable for primary school-aged children.
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The boy, now 7 or 8 years old and in year three, has attended the school as a girl since he was 4.
A former non-teaching staff member and parent at the school, who was instructed not to disclose the child’s biological sex, shared her daughter’s distress upon discovering her friend’s true identity. The child exhibited signs of stress, including behavioral changes and insomnia.
The mother recounted her daughter’s shock at learning her friend was a boy, exacerbated by the trans-identifying child’s inappropriate behavior, such as “flashing [his] willy” at girls and telling them about “dark spirits that will suck their souls out.”
The mother told The Telegraph that her daughter was “distraught” that her friend had “lied” to her and that she had been “holding hands with a boy.”
The family has raised multiple safeguarding concerns with the school and its governors, feeling their worries have been ignored.
The U.K. government’s draft guidance for schools, published in December, aims to address concerns about children identifying as the opposite sex in school. It advises caution in handling requests from primary school children to change their gender, referencing a report by Dr. Hilary Cass, which warns of the significant impact of social transitioning on children’s psychological functioning.
The Church of England’s current guidance, pending an update following the government’s draft guidance, focuses on preventing bullying but does not specifically address gender-questioning children. The school, following this guidance, has stated its commitment to the safety and well-being of all pupils, handling concerns in accordance with statutory and local guidelines.
This incident is part of a broader debate within the CofE and its schools.
In March 2023, a couple withdrew their son from a CofE school over concerns about a book promoting gender confusion. The book, My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart, is centered around a young boy who likes princesses and other things typically seen as intended for girls. Instead of a blue shadow, the boy has a pink one, and he learns to accept himself with the support of his dad. The story is told through rhyme, and the book uses the concept of everyone having colored shadows to represent the idea of gender identity.
In July 2023, a parent in Norfolk appealed to the Church’s Chief Education Officer over RSHE (relationships, sex and health education) lessons he deemed inappropriate, highlighting the ongoing tension between educational policies and parental beliefs. The materials used taught children as young as 7, that some people can be born a boy but feel like a girl, while others might identify as "pangender" — “someone who does not feel like a boy or a girl.” It was also claimed that pupils were allowed to take part in pretend same-sex weddings.
The Department for Education emphasizes the legal requirement to record a child’s sex accurately in the admissions register and expects schools to align with government guidance on gender-questioning children. The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, while not commenting on individual schools, says it takes all concerns seriously.
