A toddler has been suspended from nursery after being accused of transphobia or homophobia, according to new data from the Department for Education (DfE).
According to the figures, the child – aged either three or four – was excluded from a state school in the 2022–23 academic year for “abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity.”
The school involved has not been identified, and no further information has been released about the circumstances of the suspension.
However, the statistics show that a total of 94 primary-aged children were suspended or permanently excluded that year for behaviour described as homophobic or transphobic. That figure includes 10 children in Year One and three in Year Two, where the oldest pupils are typically seven years old. One of those excluded was a nursery-age child.
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at the campaign group Sex Matters, told The Telegraph: “Every once in a while, the extremes of gender ideology throw up a story that seems too crazy to believe, and a toddler being suspended from nursery for so-called ‘transphobia’ or homophobia is one such example.
“Teachers and school leaders involved in this insanity should be ashamed of themselves for projecting adult concepts and beliefs onto such young children.
“It’s unforgivable for children’s vital early education to be so traumatically disrupted by school leaders who prioritise activists’ demands over their charges’ wellbeing.”
Across all state primary schools, suspensions and exclusions for homophobic or transphobic behaviour rose from 164 in 2021–22 to 178 in 2022–23.
Essex recorded the highest number of incidents in 2022–23, with 16 pupils suspended or expelled, followed by Birmingham (15), Bradford (11), and Norfolk (eight).
The DfE has only collected this category of data since the 2020–21 academic year, and pupils may be excluded for more than one reason.
Commenting on the ‘transphobic toddler’ case, Free Speech Union director Toby Young said: “It beggar’s belief that schools are suspending children as young as five for breaching their ‘transphobia’ policy. I would have thought that if your ideology is so rigid it justifies you punishing toddlers for not complying with it, that’s a powerful argument for discarding it in favour of something less dogmatic.”
Lord Young, the director of the Free Speech Union, said: “It beggar’s belief that schools are suspending children as young as five for breaching their ‘transphobia’ policy. I would have thought that if your ideology is so rigid it justifies you punishing toddlers for not complying with it, that’s a powerful argument for discarding it in favour of something less dogmatic.”
Asked about the nursery pupil’s suspension, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “Obviously, the Prime Minister would not support those sorts of measures. But equally I don’t know the specific incident in the case.
“I think the data around this is all pretty significantly analysed, so I think it’s quite hard to provide any comment on any specific cases. Pupils and staff should never be subject to abuse, but any action taken to tackle behaviour should also be proportionate.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “All pupils and staff should feel safe and protected at school and should never face violence or abuse.
“The Education Secretary has been clear that she expects school leaders to enforce good behaviour and we are committed to a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools.”
There’s more on this story here.
