Newly qualified teachers should be given additional training to help them support pupils who are victims of homophobic, bi-phobic and transphobic bullying in Scots schools, according to NUS Scotland.
The call came after the students' union formally backed the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign, which has battled for reforms on how LGBTI issues are taught in schools.
The NUS Scottish Executive Committee has pledged to “create a more inclusive education system” by backing proposals to include LGBTI awareness and inclusion teacher training for newly qualified teachers and teachers already working in Scots schools.
Research commissioned by the TIE campaign found that 90 per cent of LGBTI people have experienced homophobia, biphobia or transphobia at school with 80 per cent of teachers citing a lack of adequate training on how to tackle LGBTI based bullying.
NUS Scotland President Liam McCabe said the TIE campaign has been at the “cutting edge of tackling LGBTI bullying and discrimination across Scotland's schools”.
“From classrooms to parliament, TIE has ensured that young people throughout Scotland feel safe and secure in expressing themselves in their schools and communities,” McCabe said. “NUS Scotland is proud to stand alongside the TIE campaign as we build an education sector that is open to all.”
The Herald on Sunday revealed last week that the Scottish Government is ready to back a raft of reforms to Scottish education recommended by the LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group.
The group has proposed changes to relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education, a teacher training programme on LGBTI issues, and an overhaul of how homophobic bullying is recorded.
Membership of the group includes the representatives from the Catholic Church, the Educational Institute of Scotland, and TIE campaign founders Jordan Daly and Liam Stevenson.
Stevenson last night welcomed the backing of NUS Scotland. He said: “From the beginning of our campaign we have made clear that teacher training is an essential part in delivering LGBTI inclusive education, therefore teacher training is one of the cornerstones of our five-point pledge.
“We are delighted to have the backing of the NUS Scotland as LGBTI training for teachers undergoing Initial Teacher Education is a fundamental part of our vision for truly inclusive education.
“With generations of new teachers going into schools fully equipped with the skills and confidence to deliver LGBTI inclusion, alongside existing teachers and staff, we can transform the lives end experiences of our LGBTI learners."
NUS Scotland President Liam McCabe added: “We would implore the Scottish Government to listen closely to the recommendations of the LGBTI Inclusive Education working group. It is vital that students’ voices are represented and accounted for as we radically transform the future of Scottish education for our LGBTI students.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said ministers will “consider its findings carefully” before making an announcement after the report is published.
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