The Wales Centre for Public Policy has published a Rapid Evidence Review (RER) to inform the development of the Welsh Government’s trans guidance for schools.
The review of published evidence was carried out by UCL’s Rapid Research Evaluation and Appraisal Lab (RREAL). The review sought to bring together the best available evidence related to:
- The wellbeing and educational needs and outcomes of trans children and young people in education settings; and
- The impact of policy and practice approaches to social transition in education settings on trans children and young people (CYP) and their peers in terms of their wellbeing and educational outcomes
The research questions for this project focus specifically on the impact of policy and practice approaches to social transition in education settings on trans learners’ wellbeing and educational outcomes. Beyond these specific questions about the impact of school policy and practice, questions about the potential impact of social transition itself on children and young people’s long-term outcomes are outside the scope of the review.
The review is based on an established, rigorous and transparent methodological approach that is designed to limit the potential for bias, and the results of the review have been peer reviewed by four subject and methodological experts with diverse positions and perspectives on the research questions.
Key findings:
The review found that trans children and young people tend to experience poorer wellbeing and education outcomes in education settings compared with their peers.
Trans children and young people are more likely to report experiencing peer victimisation, feeling unsafe at school, substance use, and negative mental health outcomes including self-harm and suicide ideation. Trans children and young people also reported poorer academic performance, attendance and engagement compared to their peers and were less likely to intend or plan to pursue post-secondary education.
The evidence shows that, like all children and young people, trans CYP who feel supported at school and protected from bullying and harassment report better educational and wellbeing outcomes than those who do not.
However, the review finds that trans children and young people are less likely than their peers to report feeling safe and supported at school, and, secondly, that schools’ approaches to social transition may play a role in this.
The literature provides some preliminary indication that affirmative policy and practice approaches – for example, those which provide opportunities for trans children and young people to use their chosen name and pronouns at school, or wear clothing or hairstyles that match their self-designated gender – may play a role in improved wellbeing and educational outcomes for trans children and young people. However, while the reviewed studies were assessed as high quality overall, it is important to note that they generally used cross-sectional designs. This means that while they found a statistically significant link between school factors and trans students’ outcomes, they were unable to establish the underlying causal relationships. This points to a need for further research.
The review reveals significant evidence gaps including related to the impacts of different education policy and practice approaches to social transition on the cisgender peers of trans students. There is also a lack of studies exploring the experiences of disabled trans children and young people, and trans children and young people with additional learning needs.
The review findings will be considered alongside ongoing stakeholder engagement and wider evidence to inform the Welsh Government’s draft guidance for schools and local authorities to support trans children and young people in education settings.