Agenda item

By Councillor McFarlane - Time for Inclusive Education

“Council:

1)         Celebrates the fact that in 2021 Scotland was the first country in the world to agree cross-Party to embed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusive education across the school curriculum and notes that there is a national expectation that Local Authorities ensure that all schools are delivering an LGBT inclusive education for their learners.

2)         Agrees that LGBT inclusive education contributes to ensuring that all young people see themselves, their families, and the world around them in what they learn. Further agrees that this should be meaningful, relevant, and part of ordinary learning, rather than exceptional or siphoned into particular calendar months or one-off occasions.

3)         Notes that the charity Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) provides services and resources, co-developed with teachers from across Scotland and suitable for primary and secondary pupils that include stage appropriate educational workshops for pupils, professional learning for teachers, and curriculum materials. This is in addition to their responsibility for managing the new national platform lgbteducation.scot on behalf of the Scottish Government and endorsed by a variety of stakeholders including those in the education sector.

4)         Understands that schools that have utilised this national platform and completed Stages 1 and 2 of the CPD pathway provided by TIE have reported significant and notable success in increasing the confidence of teachers to deliver LGBT inclusive education. Schools who have engaged with TIE's learner sessions, including those in Edinburgh have reported that pupils within their school community have a greater understanding of diversity, the impact of prejudice, and anti-bullying.

4.1)      Further understands that these resources and training are entirely free and come at no monetary cost to schools due to core funding support from The Scottish Government.

Therefore Council agrees:

5)         To pursue embedding a proactive educational approach to addressing the stereotypes and stigma which can lead to prejudice or bullying experienced by pupils who are LGBT+, perceived or thought to be by others, or have LGBT family members (such as same-sex parents) in our school settings. This should be additional to procedures for supporting pupils who experience instances of bullying due to their sexuality, gender identity or perceived characteristics of such identities.

6)         To agree that the working ambition of the council should be towards a 100% completion rate of the Scottish Government’s Stage 1 and Stage 2 national professional learning among Edinburgh’s primary and secondary teachers. Additionally, Council agrees to commit to publishing our progress towards meeting the national expectation annually alongside the percentage of primary and secondary teachers who have completed Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the CPD pathway to the Education, Children and Families Committee.

7)         That appropriate officers should engage directly with TIE with a view to working with them to host a launch event for the lgbteducation.scot national platform in the City Chambers emulating the success in other Local Authorities and engaging the city’s headteachers, heads of department and council education officers with the opportunities that this can bring.

8)         To further request a report to Education, Children and Families Committee within three cycles outlining:

•           Progress and efforts to date in rolling out LGBT+ inclusive education in Edinburgh identifying any challenges encountered thus far and potential solutions to overcome them. This should also include additional third sector work in this sphere such as LGBT+ Youth Scotland’s Charter programme.

•           A prospective timeline or work programme looking to achieve or near achieve the aspiration of 100% of primary and secondary teachers progressing through Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the national professional learning.

•           Whether it may be appropriate to embed an LGBT+ Inclusive Education Action Plan within Edinburgh’s Education Improvement Plans.”