A school has been accused of secretly allowing a 13-year-old girl to attend ‘radicalising’ mentoring sessions that convinced her that she was transgender.

Ashleigh and Ged Barnett allege that until the one-to-one sessions began last September, their daughter appeared comfortable in her body and showed little interest in transgender issues.

But they say she had changed completely by November, sporting a short haircut and talking about feeling that she was really a boy.

Ashleigh and Ged Barnett allege that until the one-to-one sessions began last September, their daughter appeared comfortable in her body and showed little interest in transgender issues

They were confused by the transformation until they met her headteacher to discuss another matter and learned that their daughter had been having weekly sessions with the head of the school’s LGBT group.

Last night, Mrs Barnett, 50, accused Hoe Valley School in Woking, Surrey, of allowing the teenager to be ‘brainwashed’. The school denies the claim.

‘Our daughter was egged on to feel that she’s a boy in a girl’s body,’ Mrs Barnett said.

‘The teaching assistant also pointed her in the direction of a YouTube website of a trans activist, which featured a video where they showed off their mastectomy scars and told how well the operation had gone.’

The couple said they were furious when they found school staff had let the teenager attend the sessions ‘behind our backs’.

Mrs Barnett said: ‘The school didn’t think it was fit to tell us. We are her parents, but responsibility to care for our child has been taken away. The attitude is that it’s the child’s choice and it’s got nothing to do with us.

‘Children at 13 or 14, especially girls, are sometimes not happy in their own bodies – that’s what puberty does to you. They are very vulnerable. It only takes one person with an agenda to plant a little seed that they are “in the wrong body”.’

Last night, Mrs Barnett, 50, accused Hoe Valley School in Woking, Surrey, of allowing the teenager to be ‘brainwashed’. The school denies the claim. ‘Our daughter was egged on to feel that she’s a boy in a girl’s body,’ Mrs Barnett said

Mrs Barnett also claimed that the teaching assistant encouraged their daughter to change in a boy’s cubicle and that staff began using a male name for her.

She alleges the teaching assistant had no formal counselling qualifications and only received training from local charity Eikon that provides ‘LGBT+ awareness sessions’ for schools.

In recent email correspondence with the couple, headteacher Jane Davies said she believed their daughter should be left to use the changing facilities she preferred.

‘We will continue to provide a safe environment for [your child], but it is not our place to alert you to how she feels,’ she wrote.

‘It is important that you understand that she is old enough to make her own decisions.’

Mr Barnett, a company director, said: ‘It’s no coincidence that she showed no signs of gender dysphoria immediately prior to the “mentoring”, but presented with classic signs afterwards.’

His wife added: ‘Last August she had lovely long hair, wore a dress and make-up, and looked like a pretty teenage girl. By November, she didn’t look like the same child.’

The couple have submitted a series of complaints, including that the school ‘failed to tell us our daughter had identified as transgender’ and ‘failed to prevent radicalisation’.

Their daughter is now seeing a psychologist, who said it was ‘appalling’ that schools had ‘unqualified people mentoring young students’.

Ms Davies said: ‘We strongly dispute these allegations. The parents are in the process of a formal complaint and therefore we are unable to comment further. However, safeguarding will always be the priority of the school.’

Eikon chief executive Chris Hickford said: ‘The suggestion any Eikon member of staff would train others to radicalise young people is not at all accurate. The training assistant may well have been at professional networking events that Eikon also attended or helped facilitate, but Eikon has not provided LBGT+ training to him.’