LGBT inclusive education: guidance to education authorities May 2019

On 8 November 2018, Scottish Ministers accepted in full the recommendations of the LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group. The 33 recommendations cover the professional learning of teachers, practice and guidance, school inspections and anti-bullying. They will be delivered before the end of the current Parliamentary term in March 2021.

The needs of young people who are intersex / have variations of sex characteristics (I/VSC) are at an earlier stage of consideration. For this reason, the 33 recommendations are being taken forward by an LGBT Inclusive Education Implementation Group, and a separate working group will be established to consider I/VSC inclusion within school education.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, is committed, through the delivery of the recommendations, to a fully inclusive education for Scotland’s children and young people. Many of you will already be taking steps to achieve this aim. We are issuing this intermediate guidance note to help you build upon existing good practice, make clear that education should be LGBT inclusive and encourage you to work collegiately and in partnership with your learners to enhance LGBT inclusivity.

There are many resources currently available on Education Scotland’s National Improvement Hub that can be used to support LGBT young people and deliver a more inclusive education.

Over the next year, the Scottish Government, COSLA and the LGBT Inclusive Education Implementation Group will be producing further resources to support delivery of LGBT inclusive education. They will be placed on the National Improvement Hub and made available through GLOW. These new resources are intended to support you to deliver learning experiences that best suit the needs of the children and young people in your classroom.

Signed:

John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
Stephen McCabe, COSLA Children and Young People spokesperson