Teachers should not remind kids of gender and must avoid saying ‘boys’ and girls’, says ex mental health boss

TEACHERS shouldn’t call female pupils “girls” or ladies” because it reminds of them of their gender and may damage their mental health, according to the government’s former mental health tsar.

Natasha Devon told headteachers at the UK’s leading girls’ schools that they should always use gender-neutral language, and said the same advice applied for boys.

She told the Girls’ School Association’s annual conference in Manchester that she would “never walk into a room in an-all girls’ school and say ‘girls’ or ‘ladies’” because it was “patronising”.

She added: “I don’t think it is useful to be constantly reminded of your gender all the time and all the stereotypes that go with it.”

Instead, she called on teachers at all schools to simply address youngsters as “pupils”, “students” or even just “people”.

She told the audience the word “girls” can evoke a sense that they have to do everything perfectly which can “create a lot of anxiety” in children and teenagers, while the word “boys” carries connotations of “being macho, not talking about your feelings, being told to man up”.

And she pointed out some pupils may be transgender and find it offensive to be called a girl or boy if that’s not how they see themselves, according to a report of the conference in the Telegraph.

Then she concluded: “So I hope that in taking away the negative stereotypes associated with gender, we can ultimately improve their mental health.”

The Department for Education appointed Ms Devon as its first ever mental health champion for schools in August 2015.

But her role was axed just nine months later, after she repeatedly criticised government policy.