We demand the Department for Education axes its transphobic guidance.

LONDON, 30 MAR 2026, 4:50pm— Young trans activists hopped into a grate outside the Department for Education, and planted an array of blue, pink and white flowers. This floral protest followed new guidance within Keeping Children Safe In Education 2026, which aims to limit social transition in school, prioritising the opinion of parents and teachers over the wellbeing of trans kids. While the flowers were planted, the suitcases used to bring the soil to the site were placed in front of the building, reading ‘LET TRANS KIDS BLOOM’. A final suitcase contained testimonies from trans kids about the life-changing benefits of being able to socially transition in school. There were also quotes from trans adults on how being unable to socially transition negatively impacted both their childhoods and later life.

One kid said “Social transition, especially at school, has heavily impacted my life. Before I socially transitioned, my school attendance was awful, and when I was in, I avoided all interaction as much as possible. I hated school, and I hated feeling forced to be reminded of my dysphoria at every second. I socially transitioned at school multiple years ago now, and I am doing so much better. I feel more able to express myself, and going to school feels significantly less terrifying. Now that I’m not worried about being misgendered and deadnamed, I can actually think about my future with comfort. It is such a simple improvement to the quality of my life, and I’m so grateful that I could have a school experience where I got the respect and support that I deserved.”

On the 12th February, the DfE put KCSIE 2026 up for consultation. Within it is a section on trans kids, reinforcing a ‘careful approach’ to social transition, under a guiding principle that ‘The child’s choice may not be the correct choice.’ In short, this guidance would restrict trans kids’ autonomy to socially transition in school by questioning our knowledge of ourselves. The guidance would set hoops for trans kids to jump through in order to socially transition, taking a default stance of doubt (especially when a child is neurodivergent) and forcing meetings with parents, teachers, and potentially clinicians, to decide for a child whether or not they are able to socially transition.

This does not centre the wellbeing of trans kids, rather this puts us through scrutiny and invasive questioning when we need support. The guidance of course neglects to mention the negative mental health effects for being denied a social transition. As one adult who was only able to transition later in life said, “Social transition as a kid would’ve let me be a kid - figuring out what kind of person I was and how I related to the world around me. Instead, I only knew that I was different and weird, isolated and stunted. It took me a full decade of self-loathing in adulthood to begin unpacking everything and growing into myself in the way I should’ve been allowed to so much earlier.“

This guidance has been in the works for quite some time now - first proposed under the Tories in 2024. But this iteration is even more harmful. While the standalone ‘Gender Questioning Children’ guidance was proposed as non-statutory, the nestling of the current guidance within KCSIE means if schools do not follow it, they will be in non-compliance with the law. Coming alongside the recent ban on HRT for trans kids, this is an alarming escalation of policy, designed to prevent trans kids accessing even the most basic forms of gender affirming care. If this guidance were to pass, it would amount to state-mandated conversion therapy.

Trans kids want to be able to live carefree. Access to a social transition gives us space to develop and grow, rather than feeling trapped and isolated. To the Department for Education: show us that you hear our voices, axe the guidance, and LET TRANS KIDS BLOOM!

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