Hillbrook School: What does their gender diversity policy actually say?
A parent-focused review of this Queensland school’s approach to trans and gender diverse students
School: Hillbrook School
Type: Independent school
Location: Queensland, Australia
Policy reviewed: Supporting Students Diverse in Gender Policy
Policy date: Current (references 2017 guidelines)
Status: Current
Link: GENDER DIVERSITY POLICY - SUPPORTING STUDENTS DIVERSE IN GENDER
At a glance
🟢 Bathroom access: Student choice; can use facilities of affirmed gender or unisex options
🟢 Changing rooms: Negotiated with student; goal is to maximise integration and minimise stigma
🟢 Sports and PE: Participate with affirmed gender where possible; flexibility for swimming
🟢 Name: Student chooses; staff asked to use chosen name on reports, certificates, day-to-day records
🟢 Pronouns: Staff asked to use correct pronouns when requested by student
🟢 Uniform: Students wear uniform of their choosing consistent with gender identity
🟢 Bullying protection: Complaints taken “very seriously” with “immediate attention”
🟢 Overnight trips: Sleep in accommodation appropriate to gender identity; alternatives if preferred
🟢 Privacy: Gender identity is private; consent required to disclose; no obligation to notify school
🟢 Parental involvement: Parents are “key contributors” but cannot override anti-discrimination law
Key: 🟢 Supportive 🟠 Limited or conditional 🔴 Restrictive or denied
Summary
This is what a genuinely inclusive school policy looks like. Hillbrook’s policy centres the student throughout, with decisions described as “student led”. Trans students can use bathrooms and changing rooms of their affirmed gender, wear the uniform of their choice, be called by their name and pronouns, and sleep in appropriate accommodation on trips. There is no “watchful waiting”, no requirement for diagnosis, and no barriers to support. The policy explicitly states there is “no medical or mental health diagnosis or treatment threshold that students must meet in order to have their gender identity respected and recognised.”
The detail
Privacy and confidentiality
Will they tell parents or others that my child is trans?
What the policy says: “A person’s gender identity is private and consent must be given by the student to disclose or share information.”
“Information about a student’s transgender status, legal name or gender assigned at birth constitutes confidential medical information. Legal advice must be obtained before sharing without consent.”
“Students are under no obligation to notify the school or community if they identify as gender diverse.”
What this means: Your child controls who knows. The school treats trans status as confidential medical information. They cannot share it without consent, and must seek legal advice before doing so. Your child doesn’t even have to tell the school if they don’t want to.
Bathrooms and changing rooms
Will my child be allowed to use the facilities of their affirmed gender?
What the policy says: “The use of toilets and changing rooms by students will be negotiated with each individual student... with the goal being to maximize social integration, minimize stigmatization and ensure safety and comfort.”
“Students may use the unisex bathroom and change rooms available around the school, or the student may use the facilities of their affirmed gender.”
What this means: Your child chooses. They can use facilities matching their gender identity, or unisex facilities if they prefer. The goal is integration and reducing stigma, not separation.
Sports and PE
Will my child be able to play sports with their affirmed gender?
What the policy says: “Wherever possible, when teams are segregated by gender, students should be enabled to participate in the activity which corresponds to their gender identity if this is what they request.”
For students over 12, “restrictions on participation in sport may be imposed if the restriction is reasonable, having regard to the stamina, strength or physical requirements of the sport.”
If a student is on puberty blockers, “this should be taken into consideration when considering if a restriction is required.”
“Swimming can be problematic... Flexibility may be required in either the swimming costume or participation in swimming.”
What this means: The default is inclusion with affirmed gender. Restrictions are possible for older students in some sports, but must be “reasonable” and consider individual circumstances including any medical treatment. The policy shows awareness that swimming may need particular flexibility.
Name and pronouns
Will my child be supported in their affirmed name and pronouns?
What the policy says: “Respecting a young person’s request to change name and pronoun is an essential part of validating and supporting their identity.”
“Students may refer to themselves by a name of their choosing. School staff are asked to use the name, personal pronouns and preferred gender when requested by the student.”
“Academic reports, certificates, awards and day-to-day school records/notes may use the student’s preferred name.”
What this means: Yes, fully. Your child’s chosen name and pronouns should be used. This can extend to reports and certificates, not just day-to-day use.
Uniform
Can my child wear the uniform of their affirmed gender?
What the policy says: “All students have the right to dress in a manner consistent with their gender identity and expression. Students are therefore permitted to wear the uniform of their choosing.”
What this means: Yes. Your child chooses which uniform to wear. No application process, no case-by-case consideration, just a clear right.
Bullying
Is my child protected against transphobic bullying?
What the policy says: “Any complaint alleging discrimination, harassment and bullying based on a student’s actual or perceived gender identity, and expression, will be taken very seriously. The incident of discrimination will be given immediate attention and appropriate action will be taken.”
What this means: Yes, explicitly. Complaints are taken seriously and acted on immediately.
School trips and overnight stays
Will my child be included and accommodated on residential trips?
What the policy says: “Whenever possible, students should be able to sleep in tents appropriate to their gender identity. Some transgender young people may not feel comfortable doing this and in such cases alternative sleeping arrangements will be made.”
Students consult with staff about “sleeping arrangements, toilets and change areas. Decisions will be made that best suit to help the student feel safe and comfortable.”
What this means: Your child sleeps with their affirmed gender where possible. If they’d prefer something different, that’s accommodated too. The focus is on what helps the student feel safe and comfortable.
Parental involvement
Will I be involved in decisions?
What the policy says: “Whenever possible, parents will be key contributors to the formulation of a plan for helping their child be supported to learn free from discrimination at school.”
However: “concerns regarding the views of the person’s parents or other members of the school community do not provide exemptions from the legal requirement to neither directly or indirectly discriminate.”
What this means: Parents are involved and valued, but parental objection cannot override the child’s right to be free from discrimination. Queensland law protects the child.
The school’s approach
What principles underpin this policy?
What the policy says: “Each student will have a unique process for transitioning and the school will work collaboratively with students and their families to ensure a plan specific to each student’s needs. This will ensure that it is a student led process.”
“There is no medical or mental health diagnosis or treatment threshold that students must meet in order to have their gender identity respected and recognised.”
What this means: The process is led by the student, not imposed on them. No gatekeeping, no diagnosis required, no waiting period. The school works with your child to create a plan that fits their needs.
What’s notable about this policy
Student-led throughout
No diagnosis or medical threshold required
Grounded in Queensland and Australian anti-discrimination law
Includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander terminology (BrotherBoy, SisterGirl)
References Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines
Explicitly states parental objection cannot override anti-discrimination law
Comprehensive glossary of terms showing genuine understanding
Links support for the whole community including parents and siblings
Overall assessment
This is an exemplary policy. It centres the student, removes barriers, and is grounded in rights and law. It shows what’s possible when a school genuinely commits to inclusion rather than managing trans children as a problem.
For parents in England reading this: policies like this exist. The restrictions you’re facing are not inevitable. They’re choices.
Questions to ask a school
If you’re looking for a school with a genuinely supportive approach, this policy shows what to look for:
Is the process student-led?
Is there a diagnosis or medical requirement?
Can my child use facilities of their affirmed gender?
What does the policy say about parental objection?
Is the policy grounded in anti-discrimination law?
Have a policy you’d like reviewed?
If your child’s school has a policy you’d like me to review, send it to me.