Gender guidance for schools, Eva Brookes, Kim Jong Un's daughter
Woman's Hour
BBC
4.1 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 February 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Government yesterday published new guidance for schools in England on what to do when children question their gender. It says schools should not initiate steps towards social transitioning when pupils change their name or pronouns, and that toilets and changing rooms should be protected spaces, used according to biological sex. Branwen Jeffreys, the BBC's Education and Family Editor, joins Clare McDonnell to discuss this latest guidance.
The one-child policy in China spanned a period of over 35 years. It led to large numbers of girls being abandoned by their birth mothers. And for many children, it’s had a lasting impact on their lives. Eva Brookes has been reflecting on what that policy meant for her as she was adopted from China as a baby. Her new podcast series, Made in China, is out this week. In it she delves into her life in the UK and speaks to transracial children like herself, along with her own parents, and explores how it has shaped her own identity.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has selected his daughter as his heir, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers yesterday. Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to be 13, has in recent months been pictured beside her father in high-profile events including a visit to Beijing in September, her first known trip abroad. BBC Seoul correspondent Jake Kwon tells Clare about how surprising this selection is and what we know about her.
Covent Garden is nowadays a centre for high-end designer shops, theatres and award-winning restaurants. However back in the 1700s it was a hotspot for taverns, coffee houses and prostitution. This is the colourful backdrop for the fourth novel from Louise Hare. Called The House of Fallen Sisters, it follows the story of Sukey, a mixed-race girl and an orphan, who has recently moved to London to live with her guardian - the guardian also happens to be a madam who runs a brothel and Sukey knows that once puberty hits, she too will join the women earning their keep. Louise tells Clare what drew her to this story.
Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Andrea Kidd
Transcript
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| 0:41.1 | Hello, this is Claire MacDonald and you're listening to the Woman's Hour podcast. Hello and welcome to Woman's Hour. It has taken eight years, but schools in England now |
| 0:48.6 | have gender guidance from government on everything from single-sex toilet spaces to whether children should be allowed to choose |
| 0:55.9 | and use their own pronouns. It includes the findings from the 2024 review by Baroness Cass and is |
| 1:02.5 | statutory. So how will this all play out in practice? We'll go through it all with our BBC Education |
| 1:08.2 | editor shortly. China's one-child policy ran for over 35 years. |
| 1:14.0 | The consequence was a large number of girls being abandoned by their birth mothers |
| 1:18.2 | and many being adopted by white couples here in the UK. |
| 1:22.1 | Eva Brooks was one such baby, |
| 1:24.1 | and she's now made a podcast series made in China for the BBC, reflecting on what that policy meant to her ever joins us live this morning. |
| 1:33.7 | Hard to believe when you look at modern-day Coffin Garden, but it was once bordering on a slum and a hotbed of prostitution. |
| 1:41.2 | It is the backdrop for Louise Hare's new novel and centres on a mixed |
| 1:45.1 | race orphan, Suu Kyi, plunged into this world. Louise is going to join us in the studio too. |
| 1:51.4 | Also this morning, it appears North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has selected his daughter as his heir. |
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