Gender identity lessons are set to be taught in British schools after Labour scrapped Tory-era guidance on the subject.
The Government has published new sex education guidance which would ensure teachers do "not teach as fact that all people have a gender identity".
The updated relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance, released this week, is set to apply to secondary schools from September.
Labour has scrapped part of the draft guidance drawn up by the Tories, which said that "schools should not teach about the broader concept of gender identity" as it "is a highly contested and complex subject".
PA | Bridget Phillipson's Department for Education has published new sex education guidance
Now, teachers will be urged to be "mindful" that there is "significant debate" around gender - and to "be careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact".
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott has condemned the changes, warning they could "pave the way for inappropriate debates on gender identity that failed to distinguish facts from contested views".
"The new guidance opens the door to controversial gender identity discussions that have no place in our schools," she said.
"Labour's updated RSHE guidance utterly fails to shield children from inappropriate content.
"There must be strict age limits - children under nine should not be exposed to lessons on sex, pornography, or harassment."
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GETTY | 'Children under nine should not be exposed to lessons on sex, pornography, or harassment,' Laura Trott said
The Tories argue that Labour has canned a set of key protections from guidance which explicitly stated "schools should not teach about the broader concept of gender identity".
But Labour has pointed to a consultation which found that nearly two thirds of some 14,000 respondents disagreed with banning gender identity discussions from classrooms.
Department for Education officials said the responses highlighted it would be "impossible for schools to fulfil their legal obligation to teach children about gender reassignment without the topic arising".
The new guidance warns schools to avoid sex education materials that "oversimplify" the matter, perpetuate gender stereotypes or "encourage pupils to question their gender".
PA
|Labour has also scrapped Conservative plans to ban sex education for children under the age of nine
Helen Joyce, founder of Sex Matters, blasted in response: "Far too much harm has already been done by sexist and frankly stupid teaching materials that lie to children by telling them it's your personality and interests that determine whether you're a boy or a girl."
Labour has also scrapped Conservative plans to ban sex education for children under the age of nine, with primary school pupils now able to learn about topics like pornography and deepfakes if teachers discover they have already encountered such content online.
A 2023 Children's Commissioner report found the average age for exposure to pornography was 13, prompting the policy shift.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC it might be necessary "to broach a topic a little bit sooner" in some schools, but parents would be consulted in such cases.
The Department for Education will issue separate guidance later this year on measures for "gender-questioning" children, including whether teachers should use their preferred pronouns or inform parents about requests to change their names.