Littlecoates’ Journey with Gender Action,
Wesley Moxon, EDI Lead.
At Littlecoates Primary Academy, we recognise that society’s rigid standards of gender are damaging to all, which is why the Gender Action Programme resonated with us. We recognised the urgent need to deconstruct harmful gender norms and stereotypes that impact the choices, behaviours and engagement of children of all genders from early stages of life.
With the support of Gender Action, our mission has been to create equitable spaces that not only foster acceptance but also actively challenges the messages children are exposed to daily, from toys and media to language or policing from peers.
As an experienced Early Years Educator and our schools Equality Lead, I have been profoundly struck by the views and stereotypes already present in the everyday lives of children. Children from the age of 4 have been seen to actively not engage in learning, activities or spaces that have been perceived as ‘deviant’ to a particular gender or ‘not for their gender’. If you work in Early Years, ask yourself: how many boys shy away from toy babies? How often do children challenge the blue and pink binary? And how many girls have to fight for equal visibility in a world where everyday language still privileges males?
You would only need to walk into a toy shop to see the gender divide so blatantly displayed to young children. Pink play kitchens, pink packaged babies and other toys that perpetuate the idea that girls play is to prepare them for the ‘domestic’ life or to one day be mothers. The blue toys being mechanical or construction play, DIY sets or toys that perpetuate rough and more dangerous roles. Most children arriving at Early Years settings have already been ‘assigned’ their genders before birth at their gender reveals, given a colour that guides them to gendered roles before consciousness or ideals of occupations like clothing labelled ‘daddy’s little soldier’.
We anticipated we may receive some resistance, especially in today’s polarised climate, where gender discussions are often misunderstood as solely to serve trans-identifying or non-binary children. But gender equity is for all children. With rising rates of gender-based violence, harassment or issues surrounding consent and mental health challenges in young men – primary schools must act now. It is never too early to teach your children to be just, empathetic and emotionally intelligent members of a community that support and accept each other.
That’s why we’ve trained our entire staff team to understand the power of language, gender equity and representation. We removed anything ‘gendered’ that perpetuated damaging views or limited engagement. No more ‘poems for girls’ or ‘treasure hunts for boys’. We updated displays and book corners with inclusive alternatives and messages. We no longer sit children boy-girl because working with another gender is not a punishment, it’s reality. And we’re also eliminating phrases such as ‘you cry like a girl’, ‘man-up’ or ‘boys will be boys’ because they limit emotional expression and reinforce harmful power dynamics.
The reduction of gendered language is a journey we are currently on and has meant for the examination of everyday language. For example, like the use of snowman or gingerbread man. Think, how many times a girl has said to you “I’m going to make a gingerbread girl” – why should she have to rewrite or defy your language to reflect her reality?
Research shows that between ages 2-5 children begin to understand their own gender and attach behaviours to it. That’s why we recognise it is vital for Early Years educators to be trained in gender equity, to build environments where all children feel free to play, express and aspire beyond limitations.
This looks like rethinking our colours or explicit conversations about the pink/blue binary, real conversations that invoke a change of thinking. As a male educator I love wearing pink and talk openly about my interests in hobbies like dance to challenge stereotypes. It is also challenging children that begin to police others – “You can’t play with that/wear that” we ask why not? Will it harm us? Can’t dads look after babies? Can’t girls discover fossils? We show them representation, we discover Mary Anning and other trailblazing women in male dominated fields. We challenge. We expand thinking.
We are also telling new, updated stories and further expanding our enrichment opportunities. Books like ‘She-Rex’, ‘My Shadow is Pink’ or ‘Tiger in a Tutu’ are favourites in our classes to create opportunities to engage in dialogue with children that promote acceptance and behaviour beyond stereotypes. We’ve also exposed children to and celebrated the achievements of local women in roles including those that are traditionally male-dominated, from firefighters to pilots. We’ve invited women’s football teams and male dancers into school to show children that joy and identity are not defined by our gender. Our curriculum also exposes children to people in subjects stereotypically associated with a particular gender, such as female scientists.
We have also worked with boys to create an environment that encourages all to share their feelings or seek help because vulnerability is a strength not a weakness. We are committed to a culture where all children, regardless of gender, feel represented, understood and free.
We’ve embedded these values into our PSHE curriculum and use approaches like Philosophy for Children (P4C) to encourage dialogue about real-world issues including gender. Our Reception pupils have debated consent in fairy tales (should the prince have kissed Snow White?), while Key Stage 2 children question what it really means to be a boy or a girl – often concluding there’s not much difference at all!
Children will not leave our school believing consent is automatic or that feelings are gendered. They won’t avoid toys, books, subjects or careers because of colours or narratives in a toy shop or a cartoon. They’ll know they are valuable exactly as they are, free from the confines of the gender binary.
Gender Action has been a transformative programme for us at Littlecoates. It has supported us with the tools and language to build a school culture that uplifts every child regardless of gender. We strongly encourage other schools to take this journey on inclusion and social justice.