STONEWALL EDUCATION EQUALITY INDEX 2018:Guidance for participants

STONEWALL EDUCATION EQUALITY INDEX 2018

Guidance for participants

  • Submission deadline: Friday 22 June 2018
  • Supporting evidence is required for each question. Please remember to provide copies of your evidence via Dropbox, email or post alongside your submission.Hyperlinks can be integrated into the submission document - please make sure the links can be accessed externally.
  • Supporting evidence for each question should be clearly labelled with the question number to which it refers.
  • We have set up a confidential Dropbox account to which submissions and supporting evidence should be uploaded. Please email to request your folder to be set up.
  • Full details of how to set up and use Dropbox can be found at the end of this guidance. You do not need to install Dropboxon your computer to use it as it is web-based.
  • If you used Dropbox to submit your evidence and submission previously, then your password remains the same, and your previous evidence has not been removed from your folder. Please update the folder so that it only contains the supporting evidence for your 2018 submission.
  • If you are unable to use Dropbox, you can email your submission to . Please make sure that email attachments are no larger than 10MB.
  • Submissions can be posted – please contact us at for the address

Further explanation:

  • All supporting evidence should be from within the past two years (i.e. from February 2016 until now).
  • If an action is being planned, supporting evidence should be provided showing how it will be scheduled to begin in the next year (i.e. by June 2019).
  • Each question should be answered in no more than 300 words.

DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY STATEMENT

This privacy statement sets out how Stonewall uses and protects any information that you give Stonewall when you submit your entry to the Education Equality Index.

Please also refer to Stonewall’s Privacy Policy.
Stonewall is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when submitting your entry to the Education Equality Index, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
Stonewall may change this policy from time to time. We will inform you of any changes.
What we ask you to submit
As part of your submission, we may ask you to submit the following information:
-Names and job titles
- Contact information including email address
- Demographic information such as postcodes
-Information and files as supporting evidence for submissions, such as:
- Policies
- Communications
- Examples of training
- Case studies
Please note that whilst completing your submission you make be asked to provide pieces of evidence which may include personal details. It is your responsibility to ensure you have the permission of the individual to share this information with Stonewall.
What we do with the information you submit
Stonewall may use the information you submit for the following purposes related to the Education Equality Index and to further LGBT equality and inclusion:
- Stonewall will use the information you submit to review, score and rank your organisation in comparison to other entrants
- The information supplied is confidential between Stonewall and the applicant/organisation.
- Any ranks outside of the Top 10 will remain confidential between Stonewall and the applicant/organisation
- Any scoring or comments made on the submission is confidential between Stonewall and the applicant/organisation, except for purposes outlined below.
- Information and data may be used to identify national and regional patterns of work. This information may be published in Stonewall resources. Where individual organisations or individuals are named, permission to do so will be sought
- Individual practice, where deemed good practice by Stonewall, may be shared with other organisations either directly through Stonewall Account Managers, or within resources produced by Stonewall. Before any practice is shared, permission will be sought from the organisation in question
- Demographic data about your organisation will be used for internal record keeping and to improve our offers and services
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect.

Storage, transfer and disposal of your data

We encourage organisations to submit their applications via Dropbox.

It is the responsibility of each individual organisation to submit their application the most secure way possible. Stonewall recommends that if physical data is posted it is always encrypted and sent via recorded delivery and any electronic data is always encrypted, password protected and any passwords shared separately to the data itself.

When Stonewall has temporary ownership we are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect.

If stated during submission, we will securely dispose of your data via secured means. If you wish to have your data returned then Stonewall recommends this is done so in person at the benchmarking meeting. If an organisation is unable to attend then Stonewall will decide a mutually agreed means of transferring the data back. (In most instances, this will be through the means in which it was submitted).
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Controlling your personal and organisational information
We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so.
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to Data Officer, Stonewall, 192 St John Street, London, EC1V 4JY.
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address or . We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

Dropbox data protection and privacy

Online submissions are managed using Dropbox.

You can find Dropbox’s security and privacy policy here or by visiting

Part One: The role of the local authority

  1. Local authority policy and guidance

Question 1a)

In this question we are looking for written documents offered to schools that include a statement explicitly stating that they must tackle all forms of prejudice-related bullying and language, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic(HBT) bullying and language. These documents should include definitions of HBT bullying and language, who it affects, how to tackle it and signposting to relevant organisations for more information.

We are also looking for written guidance offered to schools on supporting trans and gender questioning children and young people. This could be in the form of a toolkit or a series of FAQs.

The documents should have been written within the past two years.

Question 1b)

In this question we are looking at the extent to which policies, practices and procedures are kept up to date and reflect current anti-bullying legislation, guidance and inspection frameworks. Evidence of when this happened is also needed.

If you plan to update your policies, practices and procedures, evidence of this is needed, for example an action plan, which should be scheduled to begin in the next year.

  1. Working group

Question 2a)

Local authorities should have at least one established group in which anti-bullying is discussed. Having an item on its meeting agenda about your anti-homophobia, anti-biphobia and anti-transphobia work in schools will enable you to make sure this work remains a priority.

Evidence of who is represented in the group and how often they meet is needed.Also required is evidence of whether the discussion of HBT bullying is as a standing item on the meeting agenda, appears regularly (i.e. is an agenda item at half or more of the group’s meetings annually) or is ad hoc (i.e. is an agenda item at less than half of the group’s meetings annually).

If you have an established group that discusses anti-bullying, and it plans to extend its remit to include an item on HBT bullying, evidence of this is needed, for example an action plan or terms of reference.

  1. Training

Question 3a)

In this question we are looking at the extent to which local authority staffwho work directly with children and young people, have up to date knowledge on preventing and tackling prejudice-related bullying and language, and more specifically HBT bullying and language and/or how to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) young people.

Evidence of what training is offered, as well as who received any training, when it took place and what the training was, is needed. Training should have taken place within the past two years.

If you plan to offer training to local authority staff, evidence of this is needed, for example an action plan, which should be scheduled to begin in the next year.

Question 3b)

In this question we are looking at the extent to which elected members have been offered training that includes supporting LGBT young people, particularly in their role as corporate parents.

Evidence of what training is offered, as well as who received any training, when it took place and what the training was, is needed. Training should have taken place within the past two years.

If you plan to offer training to your elected members evidence is needed,for example an action plan, which should be scheduled to begin in the next year.

Question 3c)

In this question we are looking at the extent to which your local authority offers anti-bullying training to primary and secondary school (including academy and free school) governors and staff (this includes the senior leadership team as well as both teaching and non-teaching staff) and if celebrating difference and preventing and tackling HBT bullying and language are part of this training.

Evidence of what training is offered, as well as when any training took place, who attended and what the training was, is needed. Training should have taken place within the past two years.

In the very best local authorities, this trainingwill include presentations from good practice schools and young people.

Question 3d)

In this question we are looking at the training offered to staff in other settings for example in early years settings, special schools and/or those supporting SEND pupils,PRUs, and independent schools.

Dependent upon the setting, this training could include training around celebrating difference, diversity of family make-up and/or preventing and tackling HBT bullying and language. Evidence of what training is offered, as well as when any training took place, who attended and what the training was, is needed. Training should have taken place within the past two years.

Part two: Working with local schools

  1. Engagement with schools

Question 4a)

In this question we are looking at the extent to which young people’s experiences are known and more specifically young people’s experiences of HBT bullying, and the health and wellbeing needs of LGBT young people. This allows schools and local authorities to gain local data on HBT bullying andthe specific health and wellbeing needs of LGBTyoung people and measure progress over time.

If your local authority has carried out surveys which include specific questions on young people’s experiences of HBT bullying and/or can be used to identify specific health and wellbeing needs of LGBT young people, evidence of the surveys, and their results, are needed. The surveys should have taken place within the past two years.

Question 4b)

Recording and monitoring incidents of prejudice-related bullying is a key part of helping your schools to meet their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the current Ofsted inspection framework.

If your local authority has offered guidance which explicitly states that schools must record and monitor incidents of HBT bullying and language, then evidence of this is needed as well as details of how the guidance was shared with your schools. If, as according to Stonewall good practice, schools submit regular reports of incidents of HBT bullying and language to the local authority, you should include details of this.

If your local authorityplans to offer guidance which explicitly states that schools must record and monitor incidents of prejudice-related bullying, including the specific recording and monitoring of HBT bullying and language, then evidence of this is needed, for example an action plan, which should be scheduled to begin in the next year.

Question 4c)

In this question we are looking for examples of how your local authority has offered age-appropriate support to schools to:

  1. Develop an inclusive curriculum (for example, by offering advice and guidance on how to include in the broad curriculum: diversity of family make-up (including same-sex parent families); sexual orientation; gender identity; LGBT people and issues)
  2. Include LGBT issues and people in spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development and British values
  3. Ensure sex and relationships education (SRE) meets the needs of LGBT pupils
  4. Prevent the sexual exploitation of LGBT children and young people

Evidence of what support has been offered is needed and it should have been offered within the past two years.

The very best practice local authorities will include examples of good practice from schools.

Question 4d)

In this question we are looking for examples of how support has been offered to schools to encourage them to work in partnership with others (e.g. in cluster groups or transition work) to celebrate difference and prevent and tackle HBT bullying.

If your local authority has offered support for schools to encourage them to work in partnership with others to celebrate difference and prevent and tackle HBT bullying, evidence of this support is needed.You can also include good practice examples of what schools are doing in partnership with one another.

If your local authority plans to offer support, evidence of this is needed, for example an action plan, which should be scheduled to begin in the next year.

  1. Good practice settings

Question 5a)

In this question we are looking for examples of one or more good practice early years setting, primary school, secondary school and special school and/or support for SEND pupils. These settings and schools will have demonstrated areas of good practice around celebrating difference, and preventing and tackling HBT bullying and language. Evidence of the work they are doing is needed.

In the very best local authorities evidence of how the good practice has been shared with other schools will also be given.

Part three: Working with the local community

  1. Youth participation

Question 6a)

In this question we are looking for examples of how your local authority involveschildren and young people in work to prevent and tackle HBT bullying, for example in anti-bullying ambassador programmes, peer mentoring, peer awareness sessions and staff training.

If your local authority involves young people in anti-bullying work that includes HBT bullying, evidence of this is needed and should have taken place within the last two years.

If your local authority plans to involve them in anti-bullying work that includes HBT bullying evidence of this is needed, for example an action plan, which should be scheduled to begin in the next year.

Question 6b)

In this question we are looking for examples of information that is offered to secondary schools and young people about local and/or national LGBT support services/youth groups.

Evidence of this is needed. This may include, for example, information leaflets, posters and websites that are promoted to schools. You may also like to let us know how many schools are offered this information. You need to be clear as to whether or not young people can access the websites (firewalls, for example, may prevent access).

If your local authority is planning to offer schools and young people with information evidence of this is needed, for example an action plan, which should be scheduled to begin in the next year.