Scottish Government Publish Guidance on LGBT Inclusive Education

January 15, 2025

Scottish Government Publish Guidance on LGBT Inclusive Education

The Scottish Government has published Guidance on LGBT Inclusive Education for education settings in Scotland. Below is an overview of the guidance and what it provides.

The guidance reaffirms the National Approach to LGBT Inclusive Education in Scotland and provides key information for schools about education and curriculum, responding to incidents of prejudice-based bullying, and the availability of the national professional learning and resources.

The publication of the guidance fulfils a general recommendation made by a multi-stakeholder national working group in 2018 which asked the Scottish Government to “develop National Guidance which clearly states expectations regarding LGBT Inclusive Education and signposts teachers in any school in Scotland towards supporting resources”.

Children and young people are likely to engage with topics related to equality, identity, and encounter information about diverse groups of people in society, through social media and the internet where they may encounter harmful content and disinformation.

It is important that the curriculum therefore provides children and young people with opportunities to learn about these topics in a safe and factual learning environment.

Scottish Government Guidance on LGBT Inclusive Education

The guidance supports settings to engage with the National Approach to LGBT Inclusive Education and sets out that:

All local authority run schools are expected to engage with the National Approach to LGBT Inclusive Education
Schools should consider this in upcoming improvement plans
Teachers are asked to complete Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the national professional learning course
Resources are available through the Scottish Government’s lgbteducation.scot national platform

Additionally, information is provided about the development and delivery of a school curriculum that includes LGBT-related learning content. The guidance sets out that this learning should be included meaningfully at relevant points across curriculum and subject areas throughout the academic year, rather than through exceptional or standalone learning or events. It advises that:

Teaching related to LGBT Inclusive Education should be integrated into the curriculum with an emphasis on meaningful, factual, and contextually relevant learning across curriculum areas and subjects throughout the academic year
Learning content should be differentiated for the age and stage of learners
LGBT Inclusive Education should be connected to school values and form part of a broader ethos of providing an inclusive education about all of the protected characteristics
Withdrawal from LGBT-inclusive learning content in the broad curriculum is not possible
Information regarding learning content and outcomes can be shared with parents and carers

Effectively representing LGBT themes within learning and teaching can prevent harmful stereotypes and stigma from arising, which often lead to prejudice or bullying; and allows learners to see themselves and their families reflected throughout their learning pathway.

Scottish Government Guidance on LGBT Inclusive Education

The guidance also addresses incidents of prejudice-based bullying or other behaviours that can affect children, young people and staff in schools, setting out that schools should not only respond to incidents when they happen, but also adopt preventative measures including an LGBT Inclusive curriculum. It states that:

Schools should work to both prevent and respond to incidents of bullying and prejudice-based behaviours
Schools should work to empower children, young people and family members to report incidents of bullying to ensure they are supported
Staff should follow child protection procedures when disclosures are made, using a ‘Getting It Right for Every Child’ approach to support the wellbeing of children and young people
Employers have a duty to ensure the safety and welfare of staff and that local authorities and schools should ensure staff have information about what they can do if they experience prejudice, discrimination or bullying at work

The publication of national Guidance on LGBT Inclusive Education follows and complements the update of Respect for All: the National Approach to Anti-Bullying which includes additional information about how schools and education settings can address bullying and prejudice-based behaviours.

This states that there are opportunities to address different forms of prejudice in the school through “the development of a curriculum which fosters good relations by including meaningful, integrated representation of all protected characteristics and opportunities for organic learning about diverse people, families and communities in society.”

The Guidance on LGBT Inclusive Education can be accessed via the Scottish Government here.

Teachers and school staff can follow the guidance by participating in the national professional learning course provided by the Scottish Government. Information about this can be found on the Teachers section of our website.

Information and resources are also available for Parents and Carers here.