Teachers in England have been told they do not have to address pupils in their chosen pronouns under new government guidance on how best to support transgender students.

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The Department for Education said parents should not be excluded from a school’s decision relating to children asking to change names, pronouns and clothing.

Schools and colleges in England have also been told there is no general duty to allow children to change their gender identity. The long-awaited draft guidance, which will be subject to a 12-week consultation, says teachers should still be able to refer to children collectively as girls or boys.

The draft document, released by the Department of Education, was meant to be published before the summer holidays, but was delayed to ensure it met the "high expectations" of teachers and parents.

It states that children, teachers or staff at a school should "not be required to adopt the use of preferred pronouns".

In the absence of preferred pronouns, the child's preferred name should be used, with schools having a duty to ensure bullying is never tolerated. The guidance also states that schools and colleges do not have to, and should not, accept all requests for social transition. Social transitioning relates to a pupil requesting to change pronouns, names and uniform.

It adds schools should provide separate toilets for boys and girls aged eight and above, and changing rooms and showers for boys and girls who are aged 11 years or over.

The guidance says: ‘All children should use the toilets, showers and changing facilities designated for their biological sex unless it will cause distress for them to do so.

‘In these instances, schools and colleges should seek to find alternative arrangements, while continuing to ensure spaces are single-sex.’

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: ‘This guidance puts the best interests of all children first, removing any confusion about the protections that must be in place for biological sex and single-sex spaces, and making clear that safety and safeguarding for all children must always be schools’ primary concern.