Education: Schools’ Training

Our school, academy or college training provided staff with the skills and confidence to create an inclusive learning environment for your lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or questioning pupils or students. EACH delivered training and consultancy on LGBT+ matters to Senior Leadership Teams, classroom practitioners, pastoral and learning support staff, governors and other professionals with a duty of care towards young people.

From anti-bullying resources, policy guidance and lesson ideas schools gained positive, constructive methods to support pupils, students and staff whilst challenging homophobic, biphobic or transphobic behaviour.

EACH designed bespoke programmes prioritising a school’s, academy’s or college’s individual needs and requirements.

LGBT+ inclusive Relationship & Sex Education

Delivering Relationship & Sex Education in a way that is inclusive of LGBT+ issues was a vital step towards making a school, academy or college a respectful and legally compliant environment.

How could EACH help your school, academy or college?

We created and convened courses tailored to primary, secondary and tertiary settings which prepared participants to deliver the curriculum in a way that acknowledged LGBT+ identities.

Participants left our sessions:

• Confident to use the relevant and appropriate terms to describe sexual orientation and gender identity
• Prepared to meet new statutory requirements and equalities duties implemented as of September 2021
• Knowledgeable of safeguarding matters and feeling equipped for Ofsted and other inspections
• Self-assured to use a range of resources to support teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity
• Ready to update existing materials, policies and approaches within your setting in line with RSE expectations
• Well-equipped to respond to enquiries from pupils, parents, colleagues, governors, trustees and the wider community

EACH RSE training prepared participants to deliver RSE which encouraged children or young people to:

• develop self-efficacy, resilience, boundaries and self-worth
• cultivate positive emotional and mental wellbeing and acknowledge how friendships can support this
• learn to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in relationships
• understand human sexuality and respect themselves and others
• build confidence, self-esteem and understand the reasons for delaying sexual activity so they can make safe, informed and healthy choices
• be clear about topics around consent and the importance of effective communication

EACH believed that children should be taught:

• to form opinions about others based on whether they are kind, respectful, trustworthy and responsible rather than judging them on appearance, aspects of difference or unsubstantiated judgements
• about acceptance, empathy, prejudice, discrimination plus the rights and responsibilities they have as UK and global citizens
• how to access help if they are involved in a bullying or abusive situation

Why is LGBT+ informed RSE important?

RSE is about alleviating stereotyping, accepting and respecting people and celebrating difference rather than denigrating it. All children and all family compositions, as well as school or college staff, deserve respect and recognition. Understanding and using appropriate terminology in an age-appropriate way is vital to equip children for life in the UK today and in their futures..

No child should ever be made to feel less accepted or that their family is any less loving and caring than another. There are many diverse family situations; some children will have parents who are separated, some may live with a mother and father, others may have stepparents, some may live in extended multi-generational families. Others may be fostered or adopted or have other family arrangements. Some of those in parenting roles will be heterosexual and some will be LGBT+.  It is essential that RSE reflects a wide range of families in its images and content so these resonate with every child or young person in your class.

Some children may feel that they do not fit in or that they are in some way different. These children can feel isolated, vulnerable and less able to apply themselves to learning. This difference may be about their developing sexuality or gender identity but equally it may be about appearance, body-image, achievements, language, speech or any number of perceived differences. Cultivating compassion for self and others is central to the learning outcomes of RSE.