Adam Pettitt, headmaster of Highgate School

A headmaster at a £20,000-a-year private school has issued an apology after he unveiled new ‘gender neutral’ toilets for pupils after they returned from summer holidays.

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Adam Pettitt, 51, claimed the new toilets at Highgate School in North London would help those ‘gender fluid or don’t wish to identify themselves with a gender’.

But some parents said pupils felt ‘less comfortable and happy’ at the £20,370 a year school where old pupils include cricketer Phil Tufnell and inventor Sir Clive Sinclair.

Earlier this year the 1,400 pupil school – which was founded in the year 1565 – also introduced a ‘gender neutral’ school uniform – under which boys could be permitted to wear skirts.




Mr Pettit has now apologised to parents in a letter saying, ‘I’m aware that this change has left a number of pupils particularly in Years 7 and 8 feeling less comfortable and happy at school.

A picture of the gender neutral toilets which Adam Pettitt sent to parents

‘We will continue to support gender fluid and non gender binary pupils. However I have been asked whether the change which has impacted on many pupils is proportionate to the needs of a smaller number.

Highgate School

‘I wish to reassure that we are taking stock and working hard to improve matters so that our toilet facilities meet the needs of all pupils. I’m aiming to have proposals next half term to ensure that in effecting these improvements over the Christmas holidays if not before, we will have tested our thinking much more carefully and widely that hitherto and will avoid introducing a secondary set of difficulties.’

A parent said, ‘I’m afraid the headmaster has been fixated with this issue and with this letter he has lost what little credibility he had left.

‘He should be focusing on the running of the school itself and not on pandering to issues such as gender fluidity. Many parents are wondering whether he should reconsider his role within the school.’