Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the consultation on the proposed revisions to Keeping children safe in education, published on 12 February, why paragraph 97 of the draft guidance makes provision for pupils to participate in sports teams of the opposite sex.

The recently published consultation draft of ‘Keeping children safe in education’ does not say that schools should accept requests for pupils to join sports teams for the opposite sex. The guidance is absolutely clear that some sports may need to be played in single sex sports to ensure children’s safety, and that where this is the case there should be no exceptions.

Where there are other reasons for providing single sex sports, the guidance sets out that schools should take into account all the relevant factors, including the best interests of the child, as well as considering the impact on other children.

Schools should be informed by advice from national governing bodies on what is appropriate for individual sports.