The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has drawn criticism for removing a long-standing policy that required adults supervising children in changing rooms to be of the same sex as the children. The charity's latest safeguarding briefing on changing room considerations no longer includes this stipulation, potentially allowing male teachers to supervise female pupils and vice versa.
Campaigners and Members of Parliament have voiced strong opposition to the change, with some accusing the NSPCC of bowing to pressure from transgender activists. The previous guidance explicitly stated, 'Adults who are supervising children getting changed should be of the same gender as them.' This line has been removed entirely from the updated briefing.
The NSPCC initially stated that the change was made to align with updated Department for Education (DfE) guidance. However, the DfE has denied removing any such recommendation from its summer update. The charity later clarified that the decision was based on a 'variety of sources'.
Women's rights advocates argue that the NSPCC made an independent decision to remove the safeguarding guidance, rather than adapting its language to reflect the Supreme Court's April 2025 ruling on biological sex. Maya Forstater, chief executive of Sex Matters, called the move "cowardly, weak and hypocritical" and stated that the policy was based on "common-sense guidance, based on years of experience about how to safely supervise children changing." She further accused the NSPCC of failing in its duty to protect children by prioritizing the avoidance of offending transgender activists.
Tory equalities spokesman Joy Morrissey described the NSPCC's action as "completely unacceptable," asserting that "Male staff should not be supervising young girls while they are getting changed and nor should female staff be supervising young boys. That is just common sense." She urged the government to review the guidance and ensure sex-based supervision safeguards are in place.
An NSPCC spokesman denied that external lobbying influenced the update and indicated that the charity might reconsider the guidance if further direction is provided by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The spokesman also reiterated that the update was made to reflect the latest DfE statutory guidance for schools, though they could not specify where this recommendation was made in the DfE's materials.