Longridge Towers School: What does their trans policy actually say?
A parent-focused review of this Northumberland independent school’s approach to trans pupils
School: Longridge Towers School
Type: Independent co-educational day and boarding school
Age range: 3–18
Location: Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland
Policy reviewed: Transgender and Transitioning Guidance
Policy date: May 2024
Policy status: Under review (listed as such on school website)
Link: Longridge Towers School: Transgender and Transitioning Guidance
At a glance
🔴 Bathroom access: No access to affirmed gender facilities; single-occupancy alternative only
🔴 Changing rooms: No access to affirmed gender facilities; single-occupancy alternative only
🔴 Sports and PE: Restricted for contact sports; “no exception” for safety concerns
🟠 Name: Accommodated “where possible” with parental involvement
🔴 Pronouns: Case-by-case; primary children unlikely; school “reserves the right to decline”
🟠 Uniform: Case-by-case consideration
🟢 Bullying protection: Explicitly includes gender identity
🔴 Overnight trips: Must share with birth sex or have separate room
🟠 Privacy: Won’t share with other parents, but may inform school community
🔴 Parental involvement: Required for under-16s; parents informed “as a matter of priority”
🔴 Language: Uses “trans” but also “biological sex” throughout; references “contested belief”
Key: 🟢 Supportive 🟠 Limited or conditional 🔴 Restrictive or denied
Summary
This policy follows the government’s draft guidance closely, adopting its language, its framing, and its restrictions. It takes a “watchful waiting” approach, requires parental involvement for most decisions, and explicitly prohibits access to bathrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping arrangements matching a child’s affirmed gender. The policy states the school takes a “neutral stance” on transgender issues, but in practice the stance is restrictive. Trans children at this school will face significant barriers to being recognised and supported.
The detail
Privacy and confidentiality
Will they tell other parents or students that my child is trans?
What the policy says: “Confidential information about trans pupils will not be shared with other parents and any queries or questions from other parents will be considered carefully before responding.”
However: “If and where any change has been agreed, the School will communicate this to other pupils and staff where it is necessary and proportionate to do so.”
What this means: The school won’t proactively out your child to other parents. But if your child socially transitions in any way, the school may tell staff and pupils. You may have limited control over how and when this happens.
Bathrooms and changing rooms
Will my child be allowed to use the facilities of their affirmed gender?
What the policy says: “The School must comply with minimum standards, including that separate toilets for boys and girls aged 8 years and over are to be provided. Biological boys must not be allowed to go into the girls’ toilets (and vice versa) in order to protect all children.”
“Schools must not allow a child, aged 11 years or older, to change or wash in front of a child of the opposite biological sex, nor should they be subject to a child of the opposite biological sex changing or washing in front of them.”
If a child does not want to use facilities matching their birth sex, the school “will consider whether an alternative toilet facility is available”.
What this means: This is a blanket ban. A trans girl cannot use the girls’ toilets or changing rooms. A trans boy cannot use the boys’. The only option is a single-occupancy alternative, if one exists. The policy frames this as “protecting all children”, placing trans children outside that protection.
Sports and PE
Will my child be able to play sports in the team of their affirmed gender?
What the policy says: “For all sports where physical differences between the sexes threaten the safety of children, the School will adopt clear rules which mandate separate-sex participation. There can be no exception to this.”
“It would not be safe for a biological boy to participate in certain sports as part of a teenage girls’ team.”
What this means: Trans girls are banned from girls’ teams in contact sports, with “no exception”. The policy specifically names trans girls (”biological boys”) as the risk. Trans boys wanting to play on boys’ teams may face barriers based on “safety” and “fairness” assessments.
Name and pronouns
Will my child be supported in their affirmed name and pronouns?
What the policy says:
On names: The school will “seek to accommodate a preferred name change where possible” after discussion with the pupil and parents. The legal name remains on the admissions register.
On pronouns: “Unless there are exceptional circumstances, primary school aged children will not have different pronouns to their sex-based pronouns used about them. The School will make decisions in this regard on a case-by-case basis, and reserves the right to decline such a request.”
What this means: Names are more likely to be accommodated than pronouns. For pronouns, primary-age children are effectively refused. Older children face a “case-by-case” process where the school can still say no. The school explicitly reserves the right to decline. Even if agreed, staff are not compelled to use correct pronouns.
Uniform
Can my child wear the uniform of their affirmed gender?
What the policy says: “If a transgender pupil has difficulty complying with the School’s uniform policy, they should raise this with a member of the pastoral staff, in order that the School can consider these concerns on a case-by-case basis.”
What this means: There’s no automatic right to wear the uniform of your affirmed gender. It’s another request to be considered, with no guarantee of approval.
Bullying
Is my child protected against transphobic bullying?
What the policy says: “The School does not tolerate bullying of any form and deals with any instances under its Anti-bullying and Cyber-bullying Policy. This includes bullying for reasons related to pupil’s sex or gender identity.”
What this means: This is the clearest positive in the policy. Transphobic bullying is explicitly covered. However, the policy doesn’t define what transphobic bullying includes, and given that staff can refuse to use correct pronouns, the line between policy and bullying may be blurred.
School trips and overnight stays
Will my child be included and accommodated on residential trips?
What the policy says: “To meet our safeguarding obligations as set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) no child will be allowed to share a room with a child of the opposite biological sex.”
The school will take a “case-by-case approach” weighing up “the wishes, welfare, age, development, and privacy needs of the trans pupil and any other pupils”.
What this means: A trans girl must share with boys or have a separate room. A trans boy must share with girls or have a separate room. The “case-by-case” consideration is about whether alternatives are available, not whether your child can be with their affirmed gender.
Parental involvement
Will I be involved in decisions?
What the policy says: “For pupils under the age of 16, the parents/carers of trans pupils will be informed and involved unless there are specific safeguarding reasons for not doing this.”
“The School will endeavour to work in close partnership with parents and carers of trans pupils, favouring open dialogue between all parties.”
What this means: Yes. Parents are central to this policy. For under-16s, you will be informed unless there’s a safeguarding reason not to. The threshold for not informing parents is high. A child who is not out at home has limited protection.
The school’s process
What approach does the school take when a child comes out or requests support?
What the policy says: The school follows a “Watchful Waiting” approach: “We will wait for a period whilst considering a request, to ensure it is a sustained and properly thought through request from the child.”
Staff “will not unilaterally adopt any changes, including using a new name or new pronouns, unless or until this has been agreed by the School in accordance with the proper procedures and, in the vast majority of cases, parental consent”.
Factors considered include: safeguarding obligations, view of parents, age of the child, any clinical information, “the context of the request”, and “the impact on other pupils and the school community”.
What this means: The default is delay. Individual teachers cannot support your child until the school formally agrees. The process is weighted towards caution, parental control, and the comfort of other pupils. Your child’s own certainty about their identity is treated as something to be tested rather than trusted.
What’s missing from this policy?
How long “watchful waiting” lasts
What happens if parents and child disagree
What “exceptional circumstances” would allow pronouns for primary children
Any timescale for decisions
Staff training requirements
Named staff member responsible for trans pupils
Any route of appeal if requests are refused
Recognition that delay itself can cause harm
Overall assessment
This policy follows the government’s draft guidance closely, sometimes word for word. It frames trans identities as “contested”, adopts “watchful waiting” as its approach, and places significant barriers in front of any form of social transition.
The positives are limited: bullying protection explicitly includes gender identity, names may be accommodated, and the school says it won’t share information with other parents. But these are outweighed by blanket bans on bathroom and changing room access, significant restrictions on pronouns, and a process designed to slow everything down.
It’s worth noting that both this policy and the government guidance it follows reference the Cass Review, which has been widely criticised for its methodology and conclusions. The government guidance itself remains in draft form, over two years after consultation closed, and is long overdue for review.
For parents of trans children considering this school, or already enrolled, this policy suggests your child will face significant challenges being recognised and supported. The school’s stated “neutral stance” is not neutral in practice.
Questions to ask this school
How long does “watchful waiting” last, and what happens during that period?
What would count as “exceptional circumstances” for a primary-age child to have their pronouns respected?
Where is your single-occupancy toilet, and will using it effectively out my child?
What training have staff received on supporting trans pupils?
What happens if I give consent but the school still declines a request?
Has any pupil at this school had their pronouns respected? Their uniform changed?
When will this policy be reviewed, and will the review consider the delays to government guidance?
Policy Review
If you have a policy you would like me to review, get in touch
Further Reading
This review is based on my checklist of questions for parents. Read it here
This policy follows the government’s draft guidance closely. Read my review of that guidance here.