Peter Newman / Direct Line
01823 355576
My reference
LGBTQ+ opportunities – May 2018
23May2018
Dear Colleague
Opportunities and resources for schools to help address the needs of LGBTQ+ children and young people - May 2018
Here is the latest in my periodic updates about advice/support available to schools regarding children and young people who are LGBTQ+(those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or self-identifying in other ways in our increasingly complex society regarding their sexual orientation) with information received from Stonewall and local news.
Stonewall recently circulated the email below, with information about their new guidance on celebrating bi-inclusion in secondary schools…
I’m really pleased to let you know that today we are launching our new resource – Celebrating bi inclusion in secondary schools.
According to a 2016 survey carried out by the Office of National Statistics, 1.8 per cent of 16-24 year-olds identified as bi, and in a 2015 YouGov poll, 43 per cent of 18-25 year-olds chose something other than ‘100% heterosexual’ or ‘100% homosexual’ when asked about their sexuality.
The School Report 2017 shows that the specific experiences of bi students are often overlooked or assumed to be exactly the same as those of gay and lesbian students. It also found that more than a third of respondents ‘frequently’ or ‘often’ hear bi-phobic language, and that 35 per cent of bi students are bullied at school for being LGBT. Over two thirds of bi students have deliberately harmed themselves.
This guide gives schools useful tips to tackling biphobia and bi erasure, and practical ideas to better support their bi students.
Earlier this year, Stonewall sent out a specific warning regarding a document produced by Transgender Trend 'Supporting gender non-conforming and trans-identified students in schools'and there is a page on their website explaining why…
statement on our website
Stonewall also circulated information about a new inclusive curriculum guide to secondary schools:
… we are really pleased to be launching Creating an LGBT-inclusive curriculum guide for secondary schools, sponsored by Pearson.
School Report (2017) shows that 43 per cent of LGBT pupils say they don’t feel part of their school community – and two in five report that they are never taught anything about LGBT matters in school and college.
This guide gives practical examples about how teachers across different subjects can tweak their lessons so LGBT students can see themselves represented in what they’re learning.
Stonewall also recently circulated their new guide for early years providers ‘Getting Started: Celebrating Difference and Challenging Gender Stereotypes in the Early Years Foundation Stage’:
The Stonewall website contains many useful documents for primary schools, including their primary school best practice guide:
At the end of last year, they also published a careers guide:
As I have highlighted in previous letters about LGBTQ+ guidance and resources Somerset has its ownanti-bullying website, which was extensively updated last summer and includes information related to HBT (homophobic, bi-phobic and transgender) bullying:
The website contains a range of advice and resources for children, families and schools on preventing and responding to bullying. If you have any suggestions about other advice or links which should be included on the website please let me know. Anything you can do to publicise website would be very helpful.
I hope you find this information useful.
Yours sincerely
PETER NEWMAN
Commissioner for Vulnerable Groups