Education & Gender
Education shapes our next generation — and gender dynamics play a profound role.
This issue explores the shifting gender gap, evolving school curricula, the care of gender-questioning children, and how we, with rooted moral clarity and compassionate social concern, can respond.
It includes a biblically faithful understanding of manhood and womanhood, the limits of sex education, and the spiritual and psychological consequences of identity misdiagnosis.
Curriculum Update (July 2025): England’s RSHE curriculum now includes lessons on consent, misogyny, incel culture, pornography, and legal definitions of biological sex and gender transition, while cautioning against presenting any specific view on gender identity as fact
Puberty Blocker Ban: As of mid‑2024, NHS England and UK-wide law prohibit puberty blockers for under-18s outside of clinical trials; private clinics follow NHS policy, with cross-sex hormones being tightly restricted pending review
Gender Gap in Education:
Boys underperform vs. girls in early years and special education: boys are ~20 months behind peers with SEND
Girls currently outperform boys in GCSE/A‑levels—especially A‑levels, where they make up 54% of entrants; meanwhile, girls' secondary school progress is declining
Workforce Imbalance: Teaching remains 74% female (2023–24), with primary schools 85% female-staffed, raising questions about role modelling, especially for boys
What’s Happening in UK Policy
Why It Matters
Holistic development requires acknowledging that boys and girls thrive and learn differently. Ignoring this reinforces inequality and disengagement.
Minors questioning gender need not affirmation-on-demand, but careful, compassionate, evidence-based psychological support, not irreversible interventions.
Sex education must be taught, but framed rightly. Pleasure is not the highest aim of life. Teaching sex as solely pleasure-centred distorts purpose, fostering emotional, spiritual, and relational harm. The pursuit of pleasure at all costs is destroying this generation.
The rising idea that “transitioning will fix everything” is not biblical — it’s a lie. Identity is not something we create, but something we receive. When gender dysphoria is misdiagnosed or reinforced without wisdom, we end up calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20).
Biblical Principles
A. Created Order & Gender
Genesis 1:27 – God created them male and female in His image.
Mark 10:6 – “From the beginning, God made them male and female.”
B. Biblical Manhood & Womanhood
Ephesians 5:25 – Men are called to sacrificial leadership.
Proverbs 31 – Womanhood is strong, dignified, and purposeful.
Titus 2:3–8 – God gives different yet honourable instructions for men and women.
C. Nurturing Children Carefully
Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way they should go.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 – Paul says he cared for others like a gentle, nurturing parent.
D. Discernment in Identity
Romans 12:2 – Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, not conformed to culture.
Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.
Mini Reflection
God cares deeply about who we are and how we develop.
When boys fall behind and girls lose confidence, or when children question their gender in a moment of emotional crisis, the Church cannot stay silent or vague.
We must reclaim a biblical vision of manhood and womanhood. To be male or female is not just biological — it’s spiritual design. Gender is not a limitation to escape, but a gift to live into. Misdiagnosing identity leaves young people broken and disoriented - emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Our education system must reflect that identity is rooted in design, not in self-perception. And sex education must be more than mechanics and consent — it must offer meaning, purpose, and covenant
Morally Conservative & Socially Liberal
Affirm biological reality while extending kindness and support to children in distress.
Protect children from rushed, irreversible medical interventions that lack long-term evidence.
Teach sex education with wisdom: not just “how,” but “why.” Not just for pleasure, but for covenant, commitment, and purpose.
Promote biblical manhood and womanhood in schools and youth discipleship — raising up boys and girls with purpose, dignity, and strength.
Ensure that educational safeguarding outweighs ideology. Schools must not shape identity by trends but by truth and care.
What You or Your Group Can Do
Individuals
Write to your MP requesting RSHE guidelines that avoid ideological bias and protect children from experimental care.
Advocate for early SEND investment and boy-focused mentoring in your local school.
Join school boards or parent forums to shape local curriculum policy.
Churches & Communities
Run parenting seminars on puberty, digital exposure, gender identity, and biblical truth.
Launch boy-mentoring initiatives led by godly tradesmen, fathers, and male role models.
Create safe, scripture-based youth spaces where gender, purpose, and identity can be discussed openly and wisely.
Support schools with volunteer tutoring, SEND support, and reading schemes, particularly for struggling boys.