Pilot training days to be adressed by campaigners and politicians
THE TIME for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign has announced the launch of its free teacher training course to help Scots teachers deliver LGBT+ inclusive education.
Two days of free training will be supplied by the campaign in October, in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The announcement of the scheme comes 16 years since the repeal of section 28, or clause 2A in Scotland, which banned discussion of homosexuality in schools.
The purpose of the training is to supply the teachers with the skills to supply an education which is inclusive of a variety of sexualities and sexual and gender identities.
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A spokesperson for the Tie campaign said: “For a year now, we have been campaigning for the Scottish Government to ensure that all schools are inclusive of LGBTI identities, and while we have considerable political support for our cause – we have encountered some worrying trends which must be addressed immediately.
“Despite being sixteen years since Clause 2a was repealed, we are still seeing its impact in schools across the country. Indeed, we have met teachers who still think that the clause is in place, and we cannot wait for political change before taking steps to rectify this.”
The Tie campaign was launched to promote inclusive education after figures revealed an epidemic of self-harm and suicide among LGBT+ youth in Scotland’s schools.
The campaigners also recognised that the impact of austerity in the education sector meant that schools may struggle to fund their own training.
The spokesperson said: “Also, as a result of cuts to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) budgets, many schools are struggling to cover the costs of training their staff on LGBTI issues. This is why we have ensured that our course will remain free of charge and will be held out of school hours on Saturdays. Our events are a response to the systematic barriers which prevent schools from becoming inclusive of LGBTI young people, and we would encourage all teaching staff – whether probationary, trainee or currently practicing – to attend in October.”
The training days will see teachers welcomed with speeches from leading human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, and Green MSP Patrick Harvie.
The Tie campaign has grown enormously in prominence over the last year, dominating discussion of LGBT+ rights in the 2016 Scottish election. The campaign will lead the 2016 Glasgow Pride festival.
Picture courtesy of the Tie Campaign
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