Calls have been made for all primary and secondary school teachers in Glasgow to complete a government LGBT+ training course.
Cllr Christina Cannon, SNP, the city’s education convener, will present a motion to a full council meeting on Thursday which asks members to reaffirm its commitment to providing support in schools to LGBT+ young people.
It will request councillors agree to set a 100% target for all primary and secondary teachers to complete the Scottish Government’s stage one and two LGBT professional learning, which is delivered by the charity Time for Inclusive Education (TIE).
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The motion comes during Pride month and Cllr Cannon said: “We know that homophobia remains one of the most common forms of prejudice in our schools so we need to continue to adopt an educational approach in targeting this.
“Not only do LGBT+ young people need to feel safe in their learning environments, they deserve to be respected, included and celebrated.”
There is a national expectation that all teachers participate in the training, but the city's education leader wants to ensure Glasgow schools take part.
Councillors will be asked to note that TIE provides services and resources which are developed with teachers and suitable for primary and secondary pupils. Pupils can learn about notable figures from the LGBT community, such as war hero Alan Turing and astronaut Sally Ride.
Resources include “stage appropriate educational workshops, professional learning for teachers and curriculum materials”, the motion adds.
TIE is managing a new national platform — lgbteducation.scot — on behalf of the Scottish Government, which teachers have used to complete stage one, an e-learning module, and stage two, in-person training.
The e-learning module covers issues such as child protection and safeguarding and responding to incidents of bullying and prejudice while the second stage focuses on “curriculum planning, interdisciplinary learning and progression learning”.
Cllr Cannon’s proposed motion states the platform has led to reports of “significant and notable success in increasing the confidence of teachers to deliver LGBT inclusive education”.
The education convener said TIE has made “remarkable progress in influencing decision makers” and helping implement LGBT+ inclusive education.
“I’m proud of the work that Glasgow City Council has done on this too,” she added. “I hope, if passed, this will be a crucial next step in supporting LGBT+ young people in our schools.”
If the motion is agreed, council officials will work with TIE to promote the opportunities the platform can bring to the city’s headteachers and senior school staff.
TIE has said the purpose of LGBT inclusive education is “to take a proactive and preventative approach towards addressing prejudice and bullying related to being LGBT, having LGBT family members, or being perceived to be LGBT by others”.
“This is often caused by stereotypes and stigma, which can be addressed with meaningful representation of LGBT people and history in teaching – such as, for example, learning about diverse families, pioneering LGBT figures, or the impact of discrimination”.
