The impact of policy and practice in education settings on the wellbeing and educational outcomes of trans children and young people: An evidence review

The Welsh Government’s LGBTQ+ Action Plan includes a commitment to providing appropriate national guidance for schools and local authorities to support trans children and young people in education settings.

To support the development of this guidance, the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) was asked by the Welsh Government to examine the existing evidence base on wellbeing and educational outcomes of different approaches to supporting trans children and young people in education settings, including evidence on outcomes for peers of trans children and young people.

We commissioned the Rapid Research and Appraisal Lab (RREAL) at University College London to undertake a rapid evidence review specifically in relation to four questions:

What are the wellbeing needs and outcomes for trans children and young people in education settings?
What are the educational needs and outcomes for trans children and young people in education settings?
What is the impact of policy and practice approaches to social transition in education settings on trans children and young people in terms of their wellbeing and educational outcomes?
What is the impact of policy and practice approaches to social transition in education settings on the peers of trans children and young people?
Beyond these specific research questions about the impact of school policy and practice, questions about the potential impact of social transition itself on children and young people’s long-term outcomes are outside the scope of the review.

RREAL used an established, structured, and rigorous search and quality assessment approach to identify, appraise, and synthesise existing published evidence. Additionally, the results of the review have been peer reviewed by four subject and methodological experts with diverse positions and perspectives on the research questions.