Half of England’s teachers say they have at least one pupil who has come out as trans

Eight in 10 teachers say they want more help and guidance to support transgender students

This figure rises to nine in 10 (87 per cent) amongst secondary school teachers (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Over half of teachers (55 per cent) in England say they have at least one pupil who has come out as transgender, according to new research.

This figure rises to nine in 10 (87 per cent) amongst secondary school teachers and one in four (23 per cent) of those polled.

An independent study commissioned by the LGBT+ young people’s charity Just Like Us surveyed 6,394 primary and secondary school teachers and found that eight in 10 said they would like more help and guidance to support their transgender pupils.

Music teacher Jack Stote said: “I have seen a willingness to learn and understand amongst colleagues, but I've also seen colleagues who might be embarrassed and not know what to do.

“My main bit of advice is: it's OK not to know and it's OK to ask.”

The UK government’s landmark National LGBT Survey, published in 2018, found that of more than 100,000 respondents, 13 per cent said they were transgender (or trans).

The news follows the results of a 2019 survey conducted by YouGov for Amazon which found that school children being bullied for being LGBT was more common than bullying relating to racism, sexism or religion.

The poll of more than 1,000 teachers working in UK primary or secondary schools revealed that 13 per cent of children are bullied because of their sexual or gender identity.

This compared to 11 per cent because of their race, seven per cent because of their gender and two per cent because of their religion.

Dominic Arnall, chief executive of Just Like Us, says: “Trans young people across the country are in schools with teachers who are crying out for the right resources to support them.

“While we understand some might feel nervous about this there is really no reason to be. You don’t need to be an expert in gender to support trans young people.

“Just Like Us is here to help schools become more LGBT+ inclusive and may be able to help, and there are a range of trans-led organisations that are also on hand to provide advice and guidance.”

He added: “With a small but vocal minority of anti-trans individuals, it’s often a tough and terrifying time for young people growing up trans, so it’s very encouraging to see that the majority of their teachers want to support their pupils to be themselves and feel safe while learning, and we will do everything we can to help them with that journey.”