Developed with The Rainbow Project and Youthnet, this guidance aims to positively change the attitudes and behaviours of the school community towards homophobic bullying - resourcecentre.savethechildren.net
Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)
LGBTQ+ Matters
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The Department of Education Circular 2010/01 advises schools to take account of the Equality Commission’s 2009 guidance on Eliminating Sexual Orientation Discrimination in Northern Ireland.
Schools should also recognise the diversity of family life in today’s society, particularly the fact that some children may have gay, lesbian or bisexual parents or carers, some of whom may be in a civil partnership.
Children and young people should respect differences between people and celebrate their own and other people’s diversity and uniqueness. They should respect differences in family, culture, religion, age, gender and sexual orientation. Young people who identify as LGBTQ+ (which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning) and others) should feel valued and safe within the school community.
Schools must make sure that they:
- increase knowledge and understanding of LGBTQ+ matters in an age-appropriate way that is in keeping with the school’s ethos and RSE policy; and
- support pupils who identify as LGBTQ+.
Teachers should be adequately prepared for disclosures, be respectful to the pupil and their family, and know what to do or who to talk to for support.
It’s important that both primary and post-primary schools have policies to cover, and strategies to deal with, homophobic bullying. Pupils who are victimised in this way should know who to talk to for help.
The Education Authority (EA) has published guidance for schools and other educational settings on supporting transgender pupils. For more information and to download the guidance, see Supporting Transgender Young People on the EA website.
This area of the RSE Hub signposts to resources and guidance information for teachers, parents/carers, and children and young people on LGBTQ+ matters. It also signposts to local organisations that can offer confidential advice and support to children and young people, and families.
Primary
RSE in primary schools should focus on appreciating each child’s uniqueness. For all pupils to learn effectively, schools must make sure that they feel safe, supported and able to thrive.
Children have the right to an education free from discrimination and prejudice. Teachers need to understand gender stereotypes and have the confidence to:
- use a range of resources to support a gender-aware approach to teaching and learning;
- use appropriate terminology and language;
- tackle gender stereotypes;
- challenge homophobic, transphobic or any other type of bullying; and
- use appropriate strategies to support transgender or gender-questioning children.
Schools should be proactive in establishing links with local agencies, such as Cara-Friend, that work with schools to provide training for teachers and anti-bullying workshops for pupils. Cara-Friend’s workshops cover general LGBTQ+ awareness and also address the issues of homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. See Cara-Friend – Training & Workshops for more information.
Primary Links
Here are some links that we think are particularly useful for this topic:
Post-Primary
The Department of Education has published research on the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people (aged 16–21) in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. 92.1% of the young people indicated that there was not sufficient information available in their school about LGBTQ+ issues. They believed that this:
- impacted on their ability to come to terms with their sexual orientation and gender in safe and supportive environments; and
- contributed to the high levels of homophobic and transphobic language and attitudes.
The research revealed that transgender young people were significantly disadvantaged by schools not understanding them or their needs. In particular, schools should pay attention to names, pronouns, uniform, toilets and changing facilities.
The young people were also concerned about confidentiality, which was a significant barrier to them accessing support. They were concerned about how, without consent, parents and carers could be informed of a child’s sexual orientation, and how this could pose a risk for some young people.
See Post-Primary School Experiences of 16–21 Year Old People Who Are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and/or Transgender (LGBT) for more information.
Effective RSE can help to promote a positive view of sexual orientation and gender identity, which can then help to raise the self-esteem of young people who may feel different.
Learning about LGBTQ+ matters should cover:
- the importance of valuing diversity and the uniqueness of individuals, including diversity in sexual attraction and gender identity;
- the terms associated with sex, sexuality, gender identity and transgender, and an understanding of what they mean in real life;
- that homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying is unacceptable and how to challenge it; and
- how young LGBTQ+ people can access support.
Post-Primary Units
Unit 1: LGBTQ+ Identities and Terms
In this unit, pupils learn terms for LGBTQ+ identities, and how to use these terms appropriately and sensitively in their school and community. Pupils are encouraged to consider the views of others and ask questions about those views in a respectful and inclusive way.
Unit 2: ‘Coming Out’
In this unit, pupils learn about the emotions and feelings associated with ‘coming out’. The unit provides sources of guidance and support for young people who are ‘coming out’. Pupils are encouraged to respect everyone's voice, even if the beliefs and choices of others are different from their own.
Unit 3: Homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic (HBT) Bullying
In this unit, pupils learn to understand what HBT bullying is, the statistics around it, and its impact on young people. They will explore ways to prevent HBT bullying to help ensure that their school is a place where respect for everyone's voice, beliefs and choices provides a safe space for all. Pupils will also learn to understand that any form of bullying is unacceptable and will be addressed through the school's anti-bullying policy.
Unit 4: Gender Identity
In this unit, pupils will learn about stereotypes and characteristics that may be assigned to a person based on their gender and the problems associated with gender stereotyping. They will also learn:
- the main terms linked to gender;
- how to cope with and respond to negative questions and comments;
- strategies to make school and society more inclusive; and
- the importance of respecting everyone's voice, even if the beliefs and choices of others are different from their own.
Unit 5: Transgender People in the Media
In this unit, pupils will learn about how transgender people are represented in the Media and how this representation has changed over time. They will also learn about:
- the issues that the transgender community may face;
- how to support transgender people; and
- how to respect everyone's voice, even if the beliefs and choices of others are different from their own.
Unit 6: LGBTQ+ History and Pride
In this unit, pupils learn to understand some key events in LGBTQ+ history through discussing and evaluating the impact of these events on the LGBTQ+ community. They will also learn about the ‘Stonewall Riots’, how they led to ‘Pride’ festivals celebrated around the world, and what different Pride flags represent. Pupils will learn that not everyone sees legal change around Same Sex Marriage and Civil Partnership as a positive step, and how to respect everyone's voice, even if the beliefs and choices of others are different from their own.
Post-Primary Links
Here are some links that we think are particularly useful for this topic:
Teachers can register on this page for access to free LGBTQ+ resources that can increase pupils’ awareness of different sexual and gender identities - barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk
Featuring practical tips and a glossary of terms, this resource aims to help teachers and school staff to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender pupils - cara-friend.org.uk