The Church of England's National Society for education has issued fresh guidance, aimed at addressing anti-bullying measures in church schools, with particular emphasis on support for gender-questioning students.
This new advisory, set to be implemented in September across 4,623 schools, comes as an update to the Valuing all God’s children directive, first introduced in 2014 and subsequently updated to combat rising homophobic bullying.
The Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, Bishop of Portsmouth and lead bishop on education, highlighted the church's resolve against bullying. In his forward he wrote: "Bullying has no place in our schools. Every child deserves to learn in an environment where they are loved, supported, and respected.”
Rev. Nigel Genders, the Church’s chief education officer, noted the evolving discussion around human sexuality and gender over the past decade and stressed the importance of a non-toxic debate for the well-being of young people. In his introduction to the new guidance, as reported by Church Times, he said: “The debate about human sexuality, and especially gender, has frequently been toxic and polarised, which does nothing to help the young people caught in the middle and whose well-being should be our first priority.
“Over those ten years, terminology and understanding has evolved, and the real and virtual world in which our children and young people grow up has also transformed at an incredible rate.”
The document underscored that despite differing views within the Church and society, bullying of LGBT+ individuals is unacceptable.
The guidance outlines specific protections for gender-questioning children and transgender adults, advocating for protective pastoral support without exacerbating feelings of exclusion. It calls for proactive engagement with vulnerable students and collaboration with their families to safeguard them from bullying.
This initiative has been prompted partly by recent controversies around gender identity in church schools, including a legal review concerning a school's policy on gender fluidity dressing. Bishop Frost acknowledges the need for updated guidance following government and independent reviews to address these complex issues without contributing to bullying behaviors.
Flourishing for all will replace Valuing all God’s children following final consultations and approval, marking a significant step towards fostering safer environments in church-affiliated educational institutions.