This INSET provides training for school leaders to build confidence and gain knowledge to support children who are questioning their own gender identity. The course reflects proposed changes to KCSIE for 2026 and outlines expectations of schools and staff to keep gender-questioning pupils safe.
The Department for Education has now released its much-awaited draft guidance on supporting gender-questioning pupils, alongside proposed updates to Keeping Children Safe in Education. These developments signal a significant shift in expectations for schools, with a renewed emphasis on safeguarding-led practice, careful decision-making, and clear professional boundaries when responding to pupil requests around social transition. This course provides practical, evidence-informed support for school leaders and safeguarding teams, exploring the implications of the Cass Review, the strengthened expectation of parental engagement, and the need for a consistent whole-school approach. Participants will leave better equipped to develop defensible policy, support staff confidence, and ensure their practice remains inclusive, lawful and aligned with evolving statutory guidance.
KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Build confidence in applying statutory safeguarding guidance (including proposed KCSIE updates) to school policy, practice and decision-making.
Support staff teams to foster a respectful and supportive culture, ensuring gender-questioning pupils feel safe while maintaining clear professional boundaries.
Explore the complexities of social transition in schools, including why it is now framed as an active intervention requiring careful, case-by-case consideration.
Develop awareness of positionality, bias and the importance of professional impartiality when responding to sensitive and contested issues.
Understand the role of multi-disciplinary working, including the responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Lead, parental engagement expectations, and appropriate pathways for support.
FACILITATOR
A committed senior leader with experience of educational settings from primary to higher education, Dr Jo Trevenna is a published academic author, specialising in leadership and DEI.