Your article “Could equality be as simple as ABCD?” (18 October) really got me thinking about how schools manage gender.

As a student teacher I have observed lots of children and seen how they “police” their own gender issues and express what they feel it is acceptable for a boy or a girl to do. Often boys play football at playtime and girls skip around holding hands. However, if they do this freely and have not been guided into it because it is a socially acceptable activity then that’s their choice. It is the role of a teacher to ensure that there is equality and to not push what they think a boy or a girl should do. Children should have space to develop their own identities.

It is good to read that French schools are taking such an important issue seriously and that teaching unions are welcoming the principles behind the project. In this day and age, equality and success for all students should be a priority.

Jennie Rayner, Primary PGCE student, Brunel University, London.