Information relating to the LGBTI working group’s recommendations in their reports to ministers: FOI release

Information requested

Information relating to the LGBTI working group’s recommendations in their reports to ministers.

Recommendation no. 13 states: That Education Scotland review and further develop age and stage appropriate LGBTI specific curriculum benchmarks within targeted curricular areas, in collaboration with existing partners of the LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group and including LGBTI organisations, schools, and teachers.

Request 1: When will these benchmarks will be reviewed and implemented?

Request 2: Who wrote the benchmarks? Which LGBTI organisations, schools and teachers were involved?

Recommendation no. 14 states: That, at the next review of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), Education Scotland will lead on developing LGBTI specific Experiences and Outcomes.

Request 3: When is the next review of CfE? Who will write the new Es and Os? When will the new Es and Os be available for review?

Response

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the links below, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Response to Request 1
Education Scotland staff, on behalf of the Implementation Group, reviewed the benchmarks alongside the Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes for all subject areas. Education Scotland, in collaboration with Time for Inclusive Education (TIE), refined this early work to provide a more comprehensive thematic approach linked to relevant resources. The draft outcomes from this work were shared with the Implementation Group and the Curriculum Assessment Board (CAB). Education Scotland jointly delivered a series of webinars with TIE to support practitioners in the implementation of an LGBTI-inclusive curriculum. A timescale for implementation has not been agreed due to other ongoing work related to equality education, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD review of Curriculum for Excellence.

Further information is already in the public domain relating to the Implementation Group membership and can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/lgbt-inclusive-education-implementationgroup-terms-of-reference/.

Minutes of meetings outlining the actions taken to deliver Recommendation 13 can be found at https://www.gov.scot/groups/lgbt-inclusive-education-implementation-group/. These are currently being updated by Scottish Government.

CAB meeting minutes, which contain details of the consideration of papers, including those relating to progress made in relation to Recommendation 13 are available at https://www.gov.scot/groups/curriculum-and assessment-board/

Response to request 2
Education Scotland developed the original Curriculum for Excellence benchmarks. The joint work with TIE linking the experience and outcomes relevant to LGBTI with existing benchmarks was a joint initiative, shared with the Implementation Group. The membership of the Implementation Group can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/lgbtinclusive- education-implementation-group-terms-of-reference/

Response to request 3
The OECD undertook a review of Curriculum for Excellence in 2020. The findings and recommendations from the review were published in June 2022 and can be found here: Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: Into the Future | en | OECD. The recommendations are currently being considered by Scottish Government.

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