THE Church’s National Society for education has updated its latest anti-bullying guidance for church schools, after a period of consultation.

The guidance, Flourishing for All, includes advice on how to support gender-questioning pupils. It was first released in July (News, 12 July), and an updated version was published on Thursday.

This is to be rolled out to the C of E’s 4623 schools. It is said to be the final version; however, it will be reviewed again, and subject to further changes, once the Government’s guidance pertaining to Gender Questioning Children (2023) and the updated Relationships, Health and Sex Education (RHSE) guidance (2024) — still in draft form — have been finalised.

Significant changes in the church guidance include replacing the use of the acronym LGBT+ with LGB/GQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Gender Questioning) when referring to children and young people, in line with the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) 2024 document.

A paragraph pertaining to freedom of expression has been expanded. It still states that school leaders “will need to ensure a balance between enabling all parties to be heard whilst protecting those in their school community for whom listening to particular viewpoints on gender and sexuality can be painful”.

But it now adds: “This includes ensuring that pupils and adults who hold a particular view, on the basis of their religious or non-religious worldview, understand that they are legally entitled to do so. In Church schools, the expectation would be that all views are expressed in line with the pastoral principles cited above.”

Another new paragraph makes it clear that “It is not appropriate that a primary school’s strategy for combating bullying towards LGB/GQ pupils or LGBT+ adults should focus on any aspect of differing sexual practices (i.e. what people do with their bodies sexually, although human reproduction may be an element of the science curriculum).”

The definition of “transgender” has also been removed from the glossary, to make it clear that the document, when the word is used, is always referring to transgender adults.