This week we talk to Sidonie Bertrand-Shelton, Head of Education & Youth, (she/her) and Katherine Fowler, Content Editor at The Key (she/her) about being in an LGBTQ+ inclusive school. We talk about the importance of high-quality age-appropriate Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) as well as making sure that you embed gender and LGBTQ+ inclusivity throughout your curriculum.
We talk about:
- The changes to RSHE and how schools can respond in an age-appropriate way and deal with any opposition from the local community
- Why it is important for all young people, but particularly those who identify as LGBTQ+ or think they might, to experience a curriculum that represents them and the relationships they seek
- The responsibilities of governing boards and how they can support school leaders on this agenda
- The importance of training for teachers to feel confident when talking to students about gender, sexuality and identity, and tackling biphobic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist language
- Practical considerations about which of a school’s policies relate to inclusion such as anti-bullying, child protection and behaviour policies
- How to audit your curriculum to be more inclusive
- Returning to your school’s core values and thinking about how you can use them to become more inclusive and make sure all pupils feel safe to be who they are in your school
- The Ofsted review of peer-on-peer sexual abuse and some specifics relating to LGBTQ+ inclusion
You can find best practice, toolkits and resources from Stonewall here
You can find more information on Stonewall’s e-learning here or their School and College Champions Programme here
Members of the Key for School Leaders can access our curriculum audit here
