The UK government has issued new guidance allowing primary school children, some as young as four, to ‘socially transition’ the gender by changing their pronouns at school.
According to reports in The Times, the guidelines state that parents should be involved in the “vast majority” of cases where a child questions their gender, and schools should not initiate steps towards social transitioning.
However, the move has sparked outrage, with critics arguing it undermines parental rights and exposes vulnerable children to harmful ideologies.
??? UK Schools issued new Gender Rules
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) February 13, 2026
“Social transitioning in primary schools should happen very rarely”
“Children will be allowed to change the agenda and adopt different pronouns”
“Schools shouldn’t initiate guidance around a pupil changing their Gender”
The radical far… pic.twitter.com/Ef2jYCDe7z
The guidance specifies that “social transitioning in primary schools should happen very rarely,” but “children will be allowed to change their gender and adopt different pronouns.”
Pupils able to change their gender at school
— Alan D Miller (@alanvibe) February 13, 2026
Pronoun guidance for children as young as four
This is the travesty of activists have done to education & our children
Adults should be leading with care not this damaging harmful insanity
Stop it pic.twitter.com/0G2ma8HB2y
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, lambasted the new guidance during an appearance on TalkTV, asserting that schools have been “indoctrinating children” with trans ideology for a decade, influenced by online content, influencers, and lobby groups like Stonewall and Mermaids that have been “mis-training teachers.”
She emphasized that “the government has started a de-radicalisation programme but we actually need to de-radicalise a whole generation of teachers,” adding that the guidance falls short because “only total clarity will stop it” at this point, as the issue has “gone so far.”
Joyce urged the public to respond to the 10-week consultation on keeping children safe in education, stressing that “no child can change sex.”
Maya Forstater, chief executive of the campaign group Sex Matters, said: “It should be clear by now that allowing children and parents to think that a child who starts their education as a girl can graduate as a boy, or vice versa, is a dangerous fairytale.”
Forstater noted that while the guidance has generated backlash, there are elements of it that constitute a step forward.
This latest development comes amid ongoing controversies over gender ideology and children, with trans lobbyists continuing to push extreme agendas.
Radicals from Stonewall have demanded schools stop calling pupils ‘boys and girls’ and that they replace ‘he’ and ‘she’ with ‘they’ to “remove any unnecessarily gendered language” from classrooms.
The group also advocated for gender-neutral bathrooms and uniforms in schools, even offering rewards for compliance.
A publicly funded LGBT group in Scotland was exposed for urging teachers not to inform parents about children ‘transitioning,’ with guidance stating that “a transgender young person may not have told their family about their gender identity” and that inadvertent disclosure could cause stress or risk.
These lobbyists, including LGBT Youth Scotland receiving nearly £1 million in taxpayer funds annually, have signed up over half of Scotland’s secondary schools and 40 primary schools to their schemes.
The new English guidance appears to continue this trend, despite the landmark Cass Review in 2024, which concluded that evidence for puberty blockers and gender-affirming care for children is “remarkably weak” and built on “shaky foundations.”
The review led to a ban on puberty blockers for under-18s outside clinical trials, highlighting risks like impacts on bone health and fertility.
Yet, controversy persists with a planned clinical trial in 2026 assessing puberty blockers’ risks and benefits for about 220 children under 16.
? EXCLUSIVE: Some 226 children who believe they are transgender will be given puberty blockers as part of an investigation commissioned by Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, into their effects on the young.
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 12, 2026
Read the full story ??https://t.co/H298ryb3gU pic.twitter.com/c5KxduHpgT
Campaigners have launched legal efforts and petitions to suspend it, arguing it could harm vulnerable kids, with a government response acknowledging the “unacceptable safety risk” but proceeding to gather evidence.
The UK has commissioned a study on 226 kids who believe they are transgender to give them puberty blockers.
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) February 12, 2026
These drugs stop the body’s natural development and were already banned as “an unacceptable safety risk.” pic.twitter.com/kCI9zAAvNp
The new guidance also comes despite the UK Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 that the legal definition of sex under the Equality Act 2010 is based on biological sex at birth, not altered by a Gender Recognition Certificate.
The latest development is thus a massive step backward, allowing activist-driven policies to once again infiltrate education while sidelining science and parental authority.
With detransition lawsuits mounting and evidence mounting against hasty transitions, protecting children’s innocence from ideological overreach remains paramount.
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.
More news on our radar
