Brighton College changes uniform policy
Brighton College has become the first UK independent school to relax its gender-based uniform rules
so trans pupils can express their gender at school. The boarding and day school, which was voted
UK School of the Year in 2013 at the Independent Schools Awards, has said that any pupil can wear
trousers or a skirt with prior arrangement. Like many co-education public schools, Brighton College’s
uniform had consisted of trousers for boys and a skirt for girls. However, headmaster Richard Cairns
was approached by a parent of a child who expressed their gender differently in their home life to
their assigned gender and asked if they could dress in their preferred gender at the school. He initially
considered making trousers the only option for all students, but settled on allowing students to choose
whatever uniform they wished. His decision was welcomed unanimously by parents and pupils alike.
The media have also been positive about the move and have generally welcomed what is being
seen as a landmark decision. Latest figures estimate that 48% of children with gender issues have
attempted suicide and 58% have attempted self-harm and mental health experts insist that forcing
children to dress according to their assigned gender against their will is very damaging. The majority of
comprehensive schools now allow boys and girls to wear trousers and have the same jumper or blazer for
both genders. However, there can still be issue surrounding the wearing of ties or skirts, both of which
are still generally restricted to boys and girls respectively.
The issue of being trans at school is a relatively new to the education system as in the past previous
assumptions were that choices about gender expression were best left until adulthood. With increasing
evidence that trans issues are best tackled when they emerge very early in life, schools are starting to
adapt their policies to accept trans students. Issues such as gendered toilets, changing rooms and sports
lessons can all be a problem and most schools now have a policy for tackling difficult situations like
these. There is also a wealth of information on the net for students with advice on approaching the
school with their gender issues. For more information a good place to start is
One of the headline grabbing
recommendations the report makes is that
rather than having to produce evidence of
gender when applying for a passport and
other legal documents, a person should be
able to choose their own gender without
medicalisation. In fact, there is a suggestion the
Government should move towards a general
non-gendering of all official records, making
life much easier for non-binary people as well.
The report is one of the biggest and boldest
moves by the Government to change the way
trans issues are dealt with. Throughout the
report an emphasis is on equality and while
welcoming the report, trans activists are
hoping that the Government will move swiftly
on the recommendations and make quick
improvements in the lives of one of the most
misunderstood minority groups in the UK.
To read the report, visit
and navigate via the ‘Committees’ tab to the
Women and Equality Committee page. The
report is listed under ‘Latest Publications’
spring 2015
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