In a year-long project supported by the Department for Education and the Government Equalities Office, LGBT+ charity Educate & Celebrate have certified 60 primary and secondary schools as centres of best practice.
Since April 2015, schools from around the country have been completing a whole-school targeted approach to combating homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. This has included updating all school policies in line with the Equality Act (2010), as well as broadening their curriculum to ensure that LGBT+ Inclusive material is mainstreamed.
A teacher at a Birmingham School, said: “The greatest impact so far has been with the pupil’s reactions. They are confident to talk about these matters without being silly. They are no longer surprised about the term ‘gay’ being used and know that it is wrong to use the term negatively.”
The Educate & Celebrate best practice programme, which has been called “innovative and visionary” by Ofsted, educates and equips students, teachers, parents and governors with the tools and resources to turn their schools into spaces that actively embrace diversity and empower young people to feel confident in their identities and comfortable to campaign to be treated equally and fairly.
Elly Barnes, CEO and founder of Educate & Celebrate, said: “The journey to inclusion with our 60 schools has been a ground-breaking experience for all involved. Teachers report LGBT+ students coming out ‘in bulk’, staff now having the ability to explore LGBT+ within the classroom without worrying resulting in a real acceptance and understanding of difference, which has helped to eradicate discrimination. This new openness through inclusive teaching and learning has positively impacted on the lives of the students and teachers forever – what a journey!”
The impact on young people has been profound, as they are inspired to form Pride Youth Networks and take steps to campaign for equal rights, representation and visibility for all. These school clubs are safe spaces where young people can share with one another, plan campaigns and talk about their gender identities or sexual orientations with knowledge and understanding and without fear of recrimination, as well as learn more about the history of social and civil rights.
A teacher, from a Nottingham School, added: “We feel, as a school, that the Educate & Celebrate programme has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the inclusivity of our daily practise. To think that we are equipping our children with the relevant knowledge to be open minded, fair individuals and giving them the opportunity and confidence to be whoever they are without fear of recrimination is a real leap forward in the culture of our school.”
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