Almost half of all LGBT pupils face abuse at school simply because they are LGBT. Stonewall’s Sam Hardwick looks at what we can do and signposts a range of resources

The Stonewall School Report 2017 shows that anti-LGBT bullying and language has decreased across Britain’s schools since our last report in 2012.

But statistics from our report also show almost half of all LGBT pupils still face abuse at school for being LGBT.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of lesbian, gay and bi pupils and a shocking two in three (64 per cent) trans pupils experience bullying, simply because of who they are.

The vast majority of LGBT pupils (86 per cent) still hear phrases such as “That’s so gay”, or “You’re so gay” in school and seven in 10 report that their teachers never or only sometimes challenge this kind of language when they hear it.

Perhaps the report’s most concerning findings are about the lack of support that some LGBT pupils perceive they have from their teachers and school leaders. More than half of LGBT pupils state that there is not an adult at their school they feel they could approach to talk about their identity.

Nearly half of LGBT pupils who are bullied for being LGBT never tell anyone about it. As with other forms of bullying, LGBT pupils report that they are concerned it will worsen if they tell an adult, but also that they are afraid of “outing” themselves. Nearly half say that they are too embarrassed of what is happening to them to confide in anyone.

What does this mean for LGBT pupils? It means poorer mental health, higher rates of self-harm and higher suicide rates among LGBT pupils than their non-LGBT peers. Ultimately, the decline in mental health and wellbeing among LGBT young people is contributing to poor attendance, a sense of isolation, and compromised academic achievement and life chances.

Seven in 10 LGBT pupils (70 per cent) – including eight in 10 trans pupils (80 per cent) – have skipped school and one in five have been excluded from school at some point. Shockingly, half of bullied LGBT pupils (52 per cent) feel that homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying has had a negative effect on their plans for future education.

So, where does this leave you and your school? Some best practice ideas from our network of more than 1,000 schools include:

  • Review your school policies to make sure that they explicitly mention homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, and promote equality for LGBT pupils and staff. Our Getting Started guide for secondary schools is a great place to start.
  • Facilitate a student-led LGBT and Allies, or Equality and Diversity group. In the resources, you can find a link to a presentation from a 2016 Stonewall conference showing examples of successful groups in other schools.
  • Promote inclusion in sport using Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign.
  • Use the #NoBystanders campaign, which encourages young people to speak up whenever they hear discriminatory language being used, as part of anti-bullying work.
  • Create displays or artwork around school reflecting the different people that make up your school community, or celebrating famous LGBT people. There are lots of posters as well as a has a bank of resources for use in schools available free of charge on our website.
  • Practise LGBT inclusion across your curriculum – read books about different families or with LGBT themes, use different families in your maths examples and provide opportunities for discussion in PSHE and citizenship lessons. We have an inclusive curriculum guide and a list of recommended books for secondary schools.
  • Train all teaching and non-teaching staff to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and language.

Stonewall courses

Stonewall courses follow a “train the trainer” model, requiring only one member of school staff to attend a course, as they will return ready to plan and deliver a session to their colleagues that’s specific and relevant to their own school context.

Stonewall’s flagship course, Tackling Homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic Bullying and Language provides primary and secondary practitioners with an understanding of the issues facing LGBT young people in schools. It also covers schools’ legal obligations to LGBT young people and various strategies that can be used to tackle issues of bullying and language. These include ideas such as updating school policies and ways to celebrate diversity.

Conclusion

It is the responsibility of governors, headteachers and senior leaders to send a strong message to all pupils, staff and parents that homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and language is simply not acceptable.

A commitment to working with Stonewall and engaging with our research would form a powerful part of this message.SecEd

  • Sam Hardwick is the education programmes officer at LGBT charity Stonewall.

Resources

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