Three in 10 teachers (30 per cent) say faith has been a barrier to discussing LGBT+ topics in their school, according to a new survey.
More than 7,000 teachers surveyed by Teacher Tapp for LGBT+ young people’s charity Just Like Us were asked whether they felt that the religion or religions of their school community had ever been a barrier to discussing such topics at their school.
The proportion who answered yes was higher in faith schools, with 46 per cent of teachers feeling that faith was a barrier to talking about LGBT+ topics, compared with 25 per cent at non-faith schools.
And the proportion was highest in faith primary schools, where almost half (48 per cent) answered yes, compared with 30 per cent at non-faith primary schools.
The charity believes that a lack of “faith-specific school resources” is part of the reason for these high numbers, and has now launched a free set of such resources for Catholic, Anglican, Muslim and Jewish schools.
Help for schools in talking about LGBT+ issues
Amy Ashenden, interim CEO of Just Like Us, said that a lack of LGBT+ inclusion in schools was “rarely about willingness” but more about “whether teachers have access to the right resources that suit their school and that enable them to get started”.
“We know faith is really important to so many LGBT+ people, and regardless of who you are, it’s vital that we all learn about the diversity of the world around us and how to celebrate each other’s differences,” she added.
Responding to the results, The Church of England’s chief education officer, Nigel Genders, said it was important for all schools to promote “open, age-appropriate discussions around relationships and sex, including learning about and respecting different types of families, LGBTQI+ identities and genuinely-held positions of faith”.
And he said Church of England schools strived “to promote an inclusive curriculum and ethos, built on tolerance and understanding”.
“Within the global Anglican Church and other faith groups, there are diverse understandings about human sexuality and gender. This diversity exists in school communities, too, but we are clear that this should neither be a barrier to open discussion, nor legitimise bullying or discrimination of any kind,” he said.
“‘Valuing All God’s Children’, our guidance on challenging homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, has been widely used and appreciated by Church of England schools and others, and our approach to [relationships and sex education] promotes an open and accepting dialogue. We will continue to work with schools to promote and encourage this.“
Glynn Potts, head of Newman Catholic College in Oldham, Greater Manchester, said he was “not surprised” by the figures but was still “disappointed” to see them.
He said that as the head of a Catholic school, he had never felt discussing LGBT+ issues was “out of bounds”, adding: “My job is to make each child aware of their God-given talent and their potential. Sharing knowledge on this matter doesn’t conflict with that or my personal faith.”
Mr Potts said resources were “crucial” to schools. “The simple fact is that society is changing faster than government or schools can keep pace, and the pressure on schools to manage it all with limited direction and funding means that best endeavours can sometimes go wrong,” he added.
He said that he would like to see a full module on inclusion and diversity added to teacher training courses, and that it would be fantastic if schools had access to funded guidance counsellors “to support those young people who often feel alone in such matters”.
