Mixed sex changing rooms in a Brighton secondary school - part 3 - we're really cooking now

[SingleSexSpacesInSchools]

Hello friends.

I'll let the press do the talking...

https://www.gbnews.com/news/trans-school-court-changing-rooms

@Garble thank you for asking this. It’s a bit vague about basins though ‘facilities’ implies it.

I hope mumsnet does mind me posting the question below:

MartynOliver · Yesterday 20:12
Garble · 06/06/2026 13:32
Does Ofsted consider schools who offer mixed sex toilets/changing rooms to be in contravention of the law, and also safeguarding and if so, what will they do about this?
** Ofsted is the inspector of schools, the Department of Education sets what schools must and must not do (they are the regulator). The DfE mandates that schools must provide separate toilets for boys and girls aged 8 and over. Children must use facilities designated for their biological sex, and schools cannot allow access to single-sex toilets designated for the opposite biological sex. The recent judgement from the supreme court that was clear that women and girls have the right to the safety and dignity of women-only spaces. I welcome the clarity this provides and I know schools are working hard to make sure these rights are protected in school. We check safeguarding on every inspection. All children should use the toilets designated for their biological sex to protect privacy, safety, and dignity.

Well thanks, @Keeptoiletssafe , cos I just skimmed through that thread, and still managed to miss the relevant post! 😁

That's crystal clear :)

Bloody hell

Thank you for asking that. The answer was very clear. Hopefully the KCSIE statutory guidance will be published soon and that the transactivist groups trying to game the system (the consultation) by wedging their niche wishes into it have failed.
This should be a game changer in restoring the rights of children to same sex toilets and changing rooms.

We do need the KCSIE guidance published asap as certain schools will have to spend some time (and money) restoring legally mandated single sex toilets.

I think we can consider the war on single sex spaces in schools to be won, with there being a lot of battles still to fight against the losing side who has not realised they lost. Which means great costs and losses still to come.

Like Nazi Germany at the beginning of 1942, history buffs.

So more battle -

They will be about the specifics of implementation (look up “universal toilets” in the building regs)

It will be about making sure policies are published on websites

It will be about FOIing on the ground implementation policies

it will be FOIing impact assessments and safety positions around these third spaces and the dangers universal toilets will have.

it will be about making sure everyone knows if the budget is blown on universal toilets, how much more expensive that is that the old, safer, cheaper single sex cubicle designs. I think k the cost approach is huge.

Ultimately holding their feet to the fire

And MOST OF ALL pushing to hold those who took these clearly illegal decisions to account and having governing boards remove head teachers and SLT members as often as possible.

This is a very useful summary/line of thinking. Loving the 1942 analogy!

Someone posted on another thread about the cost and how it’s dealt with for disability. “Reasonable Adjustments “

My summary is -

If reasonable adjustments are ok for the much larger disabled population then that approach must be ok for the trans population too

If they say no then theyve got to stump up to fund proper disability provision alongside any trans accommodations….🤔

And of course reasonable adjustments for those with ambulant disabilities who may collapse at school. For timely rescue this requires a floor-to-door of up to 15cm which means these toilets need to be in a single sex environment. This will Keep Children Safe in Education who have known or unknown diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, etc. plus those one off emergencies like mental health crises and drug overdoses.

Garble 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏❤️

That was me who posted about how come you only have to make 'reasonable' adjustments for people with disabilities who need adapted toilets, but everything everywhere at whatever cost for the tiny number of transpeople who may pop in to your building, wherever and whatever it is, and choose not to use the perfectly adequate toilets designated for their sex🙄

Just imagine if there were separate disabled loos for men and women. I'm sure that would be popular too, but there's no chance of anything like that happening, is there?

All they have to do is make the loo provision compliant with the law which is an enclosed cubicle with washbasin and bin for disposal of sanitary products. But they don't want to spend the money. Finally, the Royal Court Theatre got this through their thick heads.

Re the basins - the recent Scottish ruling was entirely clear that basin areas must also be single sex. Now she was finding from the Scottish school regulations not the English ones, but I cannot imagine that the English ones differ in any significant way, or that the arguments made in Scotland could not equally be made in England

https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/media/mv5d53jw/2026csoh52-petition-of-de-and-fg-against-west-lothian-council.pdf

(The basins bit is paragraph 29 and the next few)

That’s a great response from the Chief Inspector. I hope knowing Ofsted is taking that position will help persuade schools to follow the guidance.

You may be right that the battle for single sex toilet provision is being won (I hope so) but I wish there was more we could do to challenge the ideology. It’s still so pervasive, in Brighton at least. My daughters’ primary isn’t too bad considering but most of my friends children attend a different primary nearby. I know an eight year old there who is now identifying as non binary. When I expressed surprise to her mum I was told it’s all the rage and about a third of the class have they/them pronouns in the register. It’s still cool there to be ‘not just a girl’. Ugh!

The new guidance on Sex Relationships & Health Ed as well as the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance will both go some way to removing the power of transactivists in schools. There's some information on this thread with specific details about how children must no longer be taught that gender identity is a fact etc and detailing the approach schools must use. Along with the statutory safeguarding guidelines being specific about schools complying with the law and not having compelled undressing in front of the opposite sex etc:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5537528-diversity-role-models-and-stonewall-coming-soon-to-a-school-near-you-june-2026-announcement?reply=152877763

https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/keeping-children-safe-in-education-better-than-before/?fbclid=IwcGRvZgNmZGlkFlCiegus1TMNVc23dw6PJ08o2iN1YWhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEefMPyK0sAdf1rjrQFX8033z5ZqrlkfOB89GRPBZMH-UZEabZvyikOBg81eWA_aem_2-Xs7sQtLjJAPk97Tzv8cw

So is your daughter’s school finally going to have single sex spaces?

Where schools have implemented single-sex sports as being necessary for safety reasons, there should be no exceptions and pupils must not be allowed to participate in sports designated for the opposite sex.

This is a bit poorly worded, isn't it? It reads as if some sports are for one sex only, which is surely not the case, or the intention? But it doesn't mean boys can't play hockey, or girls rugby, but rather no girls on a boys' team, and vice versa?

And does it mean the school gets to choose which sports are safe to have mixed sex? So it might choose all of them?

I’m trying to figure out what I’m allowed to share

the school has said they will be complying with KCSIE 2026 in September 2026. I don’t trust them to do so of course.

there have been some legal changes. I will double check what’s shareable.

tha is everyone for so much support on this. It’s made so much difference.

I think it is badly worded but I suspect it is to cover those sports where boys and girls might play in the same team. Cricket for example allows mixed sex teams but if the school has determined for safety reasons that they can only have boys and girls teams then those teams have to be on the basis of biological sex.

Yes, that too, maybe. Not great wording, perhaps it will be clarified.

Only separated on safety grounds - not fairness! So boys could complete in girls athletics?

I interpreted it to mean that mixed-sex sport teams are acceptable in some settings, as long as there are no safety concerns. Ex. Volleyball teams with two girls and two boys on each team, or a casual football game.

@MrsOvertonsWindow thanks for signposting to the Diversity Role Models thread! Keeping an eye on the website (nothing new lately) and will also be bumping the info in time for the new school year and the enforcement of the new KCSIE .

My experience has been that secondary PE ends up streaming into girls who are into team sports, boys who are into team sports, and the rest. The rest comprises a mixed sex, mixed abilities group. Ranging from kids who hate sports to kids who are fit and sporty but not in a team sports way! They do athletics, handball, badminton, gym sessions etc. The group can still be split by sex but isn't always. As someone who likes fitness but in a non competitive way, I wish if had this at school.