Ministers 'abandon' plan to ban pupils from changing gender, but teachers will not be forced to use pupils' preferred pronouns

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Ministers have abandoned plans to ban pupils from changing their gender identity in schools after being warned it would be illegal, it has been revealed .

New guidance for schools, due to be published next week, will state that children can socially transition with their parents' consent, meaning they can use another name or another pronoun and wearing the uniform of the opposite sex, The Times reported.

But teachers and students will not be obliged to address children who wish to change their gender identity by the pronoun they have chosen.

The turnaround comes after the Attorney General reportedly warned ministers that a ban on social transition would breach the Equality Act and require new laws.

The government's new guidance should contain a 'presumption against' social transition. This means that children will only be able to transition in limited circumstances and with appropriate safeguards in place.

The guidance explicitly states that teachers should