Primary school pupils as young as eight are to be taught that ‘all genders’ have periods, according to new sex education guidance.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s advice for teachers states ‘trans boys and men and non-binary people may have periods’.

The guidance goes on to state that education about periods should be inclusive of ‘all genders’ and ‘bins for used period products are provided in all toilets.’

The advice states ‘trans boys and men and non-binary people may have periods’ (Picture: PA)

Brighton & Hove City Council told the Mail on Sunday: ‘By encouraging effective education on menstruation and puberty, we hope to reduce stigma and ensure no child or young person feels shame in asking for period products inside or outside of school if they need them.




‘We believe that it’s important for all genders to be able to learn and talk about menstruation together… Our approach recognises the fact that some people who have periods are trans or non-binary.’

Which industries could miss out on Rishi Sunak's plan to support 'viable jobs'?

The move has been criticised by Tory MP David Davies who said: ‘Learning about periods is already a difficult subject for children that age, so to throw in the idea girls who believe they are boys also have periods will leave them completely confused.’

Feminist campaigner Julie Bindel told the paper: ‘To tell impressionable children that boys can also menstruate sidelines girls who should be getting support when they start their periods.’

The guidelines apply to sex education lessons for children as young as eight and were issued to teachers to help prevent them avoiding girls who identify as boys.

In January 2016, children were given 24 options to define their gender in a government survey. Later that year, children as young as four were asked to decide which gender they ‘most identify with’.

The 23 gender options

These are the 24 gender options

Got a story for Metro.co.uk? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.