Guidance for schools urges teachers to let children ‘play with the many cloaks of identity’ rather than conform to stereotypesBoys should be free to choose to wear a tutu, tiara or heels, and girls to wear toolbelts and superhero capes, the Church of England has said in new guidance issued to its schools. The advice also calls on teachers to avoid using labels that might alienate children’s behaviour “just because it does not conform to gender stereotypes”. The updated guidance for its 4,700 schools, titled Valuing All God’s Children [pdf], follows advice issued three years ago that covered homophobic bullying. The advice adds: “Pupils need to be able to play with the many cloaks of identity (sometimes quite literally with the dressing-up box). They are in a ‘trying on’ stage of life, and not yet adult and so no labels need to be fixed.

Source: The Guardian November 13, 2017 01:07 UTC