Good Morning Britain Has Fiery Debate Over School Ditching 'Head Girl' Title

Another day, another debate on Good Morning Britain.

The ITV breakfast programme entered into a debate around the news that a leading London private school has changed the name of its Head Girl role to Head of School.

Watch the video below.

St Paul's Girls School in Hammersmith, which charges £26,000 a year, decided to change the title after senior students called for historic role to be more inclusive to those who attend.

The school boasts nearly 800 pupils - seven of which are non-binary, meaning they do not identify as male or female and use they/them pronouns.

GMB welcomed two guests to share their side of the debate on the issue, with broadcaster Joanna Jarjue explaining she was for the term of 'Head Girl' being axed for something that 'levels the playing field' for all students.

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"If we have the approach that 'it's only a minority or a small number of people who need this,' then I think a lot of rules that we've changed to become more inclusive just wouldn't have happened," she explained to Susanna Reid and Adil Ray.

"I think it's important to have that level playing field, and we know that this is the direction that society is going in and it's important to note that it's the children themselves who have chosen to do this. This is something they want for a healthier environment and they're being considerate of their non-binary students around them."

However, journalist Rebecca Reid disagreed, saying she found it frustrating that the term 'girl' was being removed and 'non-binary' was being added, rather than having both terms.

ITV)

"It's really important the word 'girl' still exists," she said. "Girls face very specific educational challenges, particularly in STEM subjects. I don't think removing the term will help us smash through those barriers.

"If we broaden this out to talk about schools in general, that's where I think it's really important. If we remove all gendered language and went straight for non-binary everything, some people may perceive that as better or more modern and I don't think it is. I think it starts to get rid of the fact that for trans people, being able to use their correct pronouns is important to them."

A poll by GMB on Twitter saw many people weigh in on the fact that non-binary people should be allowed to be referred to whatever they choose.

ITV)

"Just remove the gender specificity of everything as everyone has the right to be what ever they want in this life..." one person said.

Another added: "The only people getting upset are those it doesn't affect."

"If a sixth former doesn't want to be called a girl then it is polite (and no skin off anyone's nose) to not do so," a third said.

Topics: Life News, School, Good Morning Britain, TV News, TV & Film, Life, GMB

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

@0xKimberley