LGBT Youth Scotland is proud that Scotland is the first country in the world to have lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) inclusive education and we are delighted that the Scottish Government has a commitment to provide a fully inclusive education for Scotland’s children and young people.
Within primary and secondary schools, inclusive education aligns with a Curriculum for Excellence by ensuring that LGBTQ+ identities are reflected across the curriculum, whilst also creating an inclusive environment that supports the four capacities which are aimed at helping learners to become:
- Successful learners
- Confident individuals
- Responsible citizens
- Effective contributors
Despite the legal duties placed on education settings to be inclusive, safe and respectful environments for all young people, it is clear that for some young people in education this is not the case. Our recent Life In Scotland survey (2022) revealed that of those who responded:
- 13% of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people and 19% of transgender young people left education as a result of homophobia, biphobia or transphobia in the learning environment.
- 70% of LGBTQ+ young people who experienced bullying told us that it had a negative impact on their educational experience and 46% told us it also impacted on their educational attainment.
- Only 10% of LGBTQ+ young people rated their school experience as good.
Inclusive Education is something this charity has worked towards for over 15 years as it has been at the forefront of young people’s priorities. Young people highlighted that the LGBTQ+ services they attended, such as youth groups, were the only safe spaces they could access. To address this need, the LGBT Charter was developed at the request of and in partnership with young people, and focussed on their priorities of ensuring that educational professionals had the knowledge and skills to create a welcoming inclusive environment where LGBTQ+ young people saw themselves.
The LGBT Charter has evolved over the years, and in August 2023 a revised LGBT Charter for Education was launched, replacing the LGBT Charter for Schools model which has been successfully delivered in primary and secondary schools since 2014. The LGBT Charter for Education improves practitioners’ knowledge and confidence to challenge prejudice and proactively create an inclusive environment where LGBTQ+ people are valued. The programme supports educational settings to achieve equity in education and reduce barriers to learning for LGBTQ+ young people. We work closely with senior leaders in primary schools that directly engage with us to create materials based on the LGBT Charter for Education that are age and stage appropriate to support their individual context. We recognise that knowledge and confidence is key and as such, practitioners receive training on LGBTQ+ terminology, linking to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the Equality Act 2010, and aligning with the teaching professional standards to allow them to provide an intersectionally inclusive learning environment.
The LGBT Charter for Education Standards recognise that many stakeholders from across the school community should be involved in the Champion Group to authentically embed practice. Learners are represented on the champions group to ensure that their voices are represented as the programme is implemented. Individual learners can decide, on a voluntary basis, whether they would like to participate in the group and what they would like to contribute towards.
In line with Education Scotland, learner participation and leadership are needed for Curriculum for Excellence’s experience and outcomes to be achieved and is a key thread within How Good is Our School. Individual school leadership teams and practitioners meanwhile decide which year groups are involved with the Champion Group and this is led by age and stage-appropriate involvement. In addition, education settings are encouraged to engage with learners across the school to understand their experiences of inclusion and areas for development, recognising the ways in which day to day life for LGBTQ+ young people may differ from that of their peers.
We’re proud to see so many fantastic examples of informative campaigns and visibility across different learning environments, which has had such a tangible positive impact supporting LGBTQ+ young people.
“Our school had already taken steps towards LGBTQ+ inclusion, such as marking certain events and establishing a pupil champion group, however the LGBT Charter allowed us to expand inclusion across all aspects of the school. This included building a detailed and informative LGBTQ+ dedicated section of our website, in-depth and valued staff training, creating meaningful Inter-Disciplinary Learning for LGBT History Month, and ensuring inclusion is integrated across the school in our policy documents and procedures. Moreover, pupils were involved at every step of the journey.”
“The effort that has gone into achieving the LGBT Charter has been transformative and powerful to our school. Staff and students at the school have worked collaboratively to create an even more inclusive learning environment for all and I personally feel very proud to be part of a community who value representation and student voice.”
“In doing the LGBT Charter our school has had an increased support and understanding of LGBT+ people, the school also has made sure that the LGBT+ Community and LGBT+ Rights are more widely spoken about and given more attention – we have also found in classes there is less tolerance for Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.”
LGBT Youth Scotland is committed to supporting and empowering young people, and those who support them in realising their learning goals, as we work together to make Scotland a fair and equal place for young people to flourish and thrive. The LGBT Charter for Education contributes to this mission by creating LGBTQ+ inclusive learning environments, ensuring that LGBTQ+ young people can feel safe and supported throughout their education and beyond.
