Developing best practice LGBTQ+ inclusivity in schools
According to Stonewall, nearly half (45%) of lesbian, gay, bi and trans young people have experienced homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying. If you’re looking to address this issue and make your school a more inclusive environment in 2022, you can find support through the Rainbow Flag Award and online RSE training sessions.
The Rainbow Flag Award is a national quality assurance framework for primary, secondary and SEND schools and colleges. It provides policies, lesson plans, resources and anti-bullying measures to help you meet the new statutory requirements to deliver inclusive LGBTQ+ Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). To find out more about the award, click here.
Coming up in March 2022 are two one-day courses for educators working with young people in secondary schools, colleges and other youth settings. A collaboration between The Proud Trust and Brighton-based Allsorts Youth Project, which supports and connects LGBTQ+ young people, the interactive online course looks at the RSE legal requirements and how to use the trust’s Sexuality aGender toolkit to enable positive conversations about identity, body, sex and sexuality. For more information or to book a place, click here.
SLN is also offering a free Unconscious Bias, Conscious Inclusion CPD training session next year that’s available to all school and college staff across Sussex. To find out how to better support young learners and book a dedicated training session for your school or college, click here.
For an example of good LGBTQ+ inclusion practice, check out our work with Allsorts Youth Project. For our Me to You LGBTQ+ project, Allsorts teamed up with St Catherine’s College in Eastbourne to develop a best practice model for LGBTQ+ inclusivity in schools. The innovative programme involved a student-led working group that carried out a comprehensive review of the school’s environment, curriculum and policies to find ways of ensuring greater LGBTQ+ inclusivity across each. To find out more about the project, click here.
If you are also looking to support LGBTQ+ students with the transition to higher education, check out the video co-created by the college’s LGBTQ+ student group, Allsorts and the universities of Brighton and Sussex, which explores all the factors that contribute to making an LGBTQ+ inclusive campus.