Schools chief ‘hasn’t given one second of thought’ to transgender bathrooms policy
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The head of Ofsted had admitted he has “never thought” about how to protect transgender students in bathrooms.
Sir Michael Wilshaw is the head of the regulatory body for schools across the UK.
However, he was unable to answer when asked on LBC whether schools should have gender-neutral facilities available to cater for transgender students – weeks after a teaching union recommended the practice.
A caller with a genderfluid sibling had asked about the subject during the phone-in.
However, the exec responded: “Do you know, I haven’t given that one second of thought.”
He said: “I don’t see why schools should not have that if it’s well policed and well supervised and well monitored.
“But you know most schools have boys and girls’ toilets and I don’t see that changing very much.”
After LBC presenter Nick Ferrari weighed in, the Ofsted chief continued: “I’m sure headteachers deal with this sort of thing sensitively and if there are particular cases where they need to provide toileting arrangements I’m sure they’ll handle that well.
“I think headteachers want to do well by all their children…. if there’s special pleading by a parent for a child, I’m sure headteachers will go out of their way to meet their needs.”
The Association Of Teachers & Lecturers union recently passed a policy on the issue.
