A Catholic all-girls school in Hammersmith, London has said teachers should use the 'preferred pronoun' and 'preferred name' of pupils who do not identify as female.
In a letter to parents, Marian Doyle, headteacher at Sacred Heart High School, Hammersmith, explained that 'as a Catholic school', they must 'promote greater wholeness for transgender individuals'.
Doyle understood this mission to include 'using the young person's preferred pronoun and addressing them as them with their preferred name, recognising their intent to live as the person they believe God created them to be, and refraining from any judgement.'
The letter referenced the Equality Act of 2010 which requires schools to 'eliminate discrimination' which includes 'gender reassignment', according to guidance from the Department of Education.
One parent of a pupil at the school described it as 'a very dangerous letter' and a policy which could prove 'very confusing for the young people at the school'.
Doyle is reported by the Catholic Herald to have commented: 'Every child at our school is made in the image of God and is nurtured and supported to know who they are and how best to make use of their talents. We are proud of them all.
'Our community not only has a duty to uphold and maintain its charism but also to operate within the law, and as a Catholic school we must look to ensure we respond to different situations for young people, whatever they may be, with compassion, dignity and respect. In this, we seek the guidance of Jesus' teachings in the Gospels to support us in our response.'
Religious schools are facing inceasing pressure to teach 'British values' as mandated by the government. A Jewish School was failed by Ofsted earlier this year for not teaching about homosexuality. A Christian couple from the Isle of Wight announced in August that they were considering legal action after their son was disciplined for 'misgendering' a fellow pupil.
