LGBTQIA+ Representation in primary schools

As all members of staff in a primary school should know, the child should be at the centre of everything we do. So, in discussions like this we need to bring the narrative back to age-appropriate terminology. For example, in EYFS the young children do not need to understand what LGBTQIA+ is, however, they do need to be taught that families different to their own are still as much a part of society as anyone else’s and it is not acceptable to disfavour their peers because of these differences.

It is important to be aware that relationships education doesn’t only benefit those who identify as LGBT+ themselves, or have LGBT parents; the aim of relationships education is to acknowledge and respect all types of differences, encouraging inclusivity of all different family structures including step-parents, foster families, those who live with grandparents etc. This should form part of teaching about diversity, representation and equity on a much larger scale, including learning about disabilities, ethnicities and faiths.

The current insufficient representation of LGBTQIA+ people and families in classroom books or at celebrations such as Mother’s and Father’s Day can be extremely confusing for children of LGBT parents as children very quickly register whether or not they are represented within their environment. At home, to them their family structure is perfectly normal, but when they start school it seems as families like theirs don’t exist and therefore, the child will feel like an outsider, different to “the normal”. This supports heteronormativity and we desperately need to escape this concept. All children need the opportunity to see a true reflection of today’s society.

Research from Europe’s largest LGBT rights charity, Stonewall, shows that nearly half of LGBT students have been bullied at school and one in eight have tried to take their own life. These conversations with students around relationships are vital if children are to be respectful of diversity. It ensures everybody is aware that their peers may have two mums or two dads from a young age. This will have an immediate impact of normalising different kinds of families, killing homophobic ideologies and bullying for our future society. Teaching children to be accepting of each other gives a sense of belonging to any child who feels a little bit different and it reaffirms that they are as much a part of society as anyone else, creating inclusive environments so everyone feels like they belong and have a voice.

To achieve these inclusive environments for our future society, we need to embrace the challenges ahead and prepare for them. Remember, doing the right thing for the child and family may not always be the easiest thing to do. However, this shouldn’t detract from the work we do each day to prepare our children for life in the modern world. Even if the school community didn’t include any LGBT families, children will encounter LGBT people at some point in the future, so it is important that education and awareness is embedded throughout school life. I am aware that this may be a sensitive issue for you to discuss with colleagues and parents, but as with all personal and social development, it is key to ensure that we meet the needs of our children and their families. Engagement with the wider community is extremely important so we need to ensure that we are communicating with families about how we celebrate differences. We need to “normalise” the discussions around LGBTQIA+ so that this is seen as of equal importance to all other discussions. There are laws and protections such as the Equality Act 2010 in place to support with framing discussions around this.

Since September 2020, relationships education has been a compulsory part of the National Curriculum in primary schools; the government makes it clear that LGBT issues shouldn’t be overlooked.

‘‘Schools should ensure that all of their teaching is sensitive and age appropriate in approach and content. At the point at which schools consider it appropriate to teach their pupils about LGBT, they should ensure that this content is fully integrated into their programmes of study for this area of the curriculum rather than delivered as a standalone unit or lesson. Schools are free to determine how they do this, and we expect all pupils to have been taught LGBT content at a timely point as part of this area of the curriculum.’’

This doesn’t obligate primary schools to include LGBT issues however, the national curriculum does set out specific points that pupils should learn about through primary school, including that others’ families, either within the school or the wider world, may look different from their own family, and the important of respecting those differences.

Some of the ways in which children in primary school may be educated about LGBT identities and relationships could be very simple. For example,

• Challenging gender stereotypes within classroom resources and displays

• Having an inclusive reading library on the classroom with books that include different kinds of families

• In your written communication, address families with inclusive phrases such as “Dear Parents/Carers”

• Make diverse images more visible in your setting with books and play equipment that visually represents all children and families within our modern society.

Here are some of my recommendations of books that are LGBTQIA+ inclusive for our younger children in EYFS:

• Julian Is A Mermaid - This book represents many things such as people of colour, body types, challenges stereotypes, celebrates diversity, creativity and self expression. A book about love and acceptance and being who you are.

• And Tango Makes Three - Follow the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins who are desperate for a baby. The zookeeper is able to give them an egg and Roy and Silo become parents to Tango.

• Perfectly Norman - A book to empower children, accept and love themselves. Norman worries about what others will think of his differences but he soon finds that being true to himself is the best thing to do.

• Nen And The Lonely Fisherman - A modern twist on a classic fairytale. Nen and Ernest find eachother, but Nen’s father disapproves until he realises he might be wrong after all. A wonderful LGBTQ+ book that has the ultimate message of “Love is love”.

•My Shadow Is Pink - A book that challenges stereotypes and having the courage to be true to yourself. The character of this book loves things “not for boys” and his dad thinks it’s “just a phase”. Dad soon learns to accept that his son’s shadow is pink!

• Dracula Spectacular - Dracula Boy seems to be a little different, not like a Dracula at all. He loves bright clothes and glitter, but his parents disapprove. Soon they realise what they need to do and arrange a suprise, one that allows him to be himself and more importantly to be happy.

• Rhinocorn Rules - Ron isn’t like the other rhinos. He isn’t grumpy or boring, he’s fun and happy! Ron gets creative and makes friends with all the other animals, but the other rhinos find him embarrassing. An important message of being yourself and having fun.

• The Moose Fairy - Moose is desperate to belong to the secret fairy club, but his size makes it impossible for him to join in. An uplifting story about belonging and celebrating the joy of being different.

• The Pirate Mums - All Billy wants is for his mums to be normal, not to sing sea shanties or have a pet parrot. However, when disaster strikes on the school trip, Billy realises that his mums are perfect just the way they are. A great book that represents having two mums and challenges gender stereotypes.

I hope in reading this I have encouraged you to reflect on your educational setting and think of ways in which we can all make our environments more welcoming and inclusive for our future generations.