Information for Professionals

Teachers

Research suggests that between 1 and 4% of the adult population may identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, so in a school of 1000 pupils there may be 40 or more young people who may identify as gay, and many more students who are wondering.

Addressing issues of sexuality is a whole school challenge. An important part of being a good citizen in today's diverse society is an acknowledgement and celebration of that diversity. However the word 'gay' is the most commonly used term of abuse among young people in school and often the least challenged. Challenging such prejudice is not only an essential form of support for those young people who are thinking they might be gay and might be internalising this negativity, but also helps all young people question their developing sense of values and priorities and harbours a sense of respect for others.

One of the things that we have been encouraging schools to do is to make sure that the bullying policy recognises Homophobia as a form of bullying. We now that this both supports teachers to be able to challenge homophobic language more effectively but also supports young people who are gay.

It is important as a school that you recognise that in your community there will be students and teachers who are gay but there will also be a hidden group who may be affected by homophobia including students who have same sex parents and parents who are in same sex relationships.

Education 4 Diversity has started to do more work with teachers which has included training teachers around supporting young gay people, challenging homophobia and talking about sexuality across the curriculum. We would like to increase the work that we are doing with schools and have the capacity to provide inset and twilight training for teachers and other professionals supporting young people in schools.

Ofsted and the DfES have both stated that it is important for schools to talk about sexuality and challenge homophobia in school. Many schools do not recognise homophobia in their school bullying policy. It is important for gay young people to recognise that their issues are important to the school, by adding homophobia into your school bullying policy then young gay people will have more confidence in reporting homophobia.

So how can Education for Diversity help me develop work on sexuality?

• We can help you integrate issues of diversity in the school curriculum by helping you to identify the objectives of the work and suggesting strategies for working with governors, parents and teaching colleagues.
• We can supply ideas for integrating sexuality in a cross-curricula approach
• We can help you identify and plan appropriate materials for KS1, KS2, KS3 and post16 teaching
• We have a range of useful resources you may find useful, including both academic books, as well as materials with printed teaching materials.
• We can provide support with a broader approach to preventing homophobic bullying, e.g. with a survey or an audit of monitoring such bullying.
• We can provide comprehensive Inset training for all staff within your school, college or university

For more support please contact one of the team, it may also be helpful to check out the Stonewall Education For All campaign