Our Education for All Conference is Britain's leading event dedicated to tackling homophobic bullying and promoting equality amongst young people.
You can now download supporting powerpoint presentations from workshops on the day by clicking on the links below:
The 2010 conference included a fantastic line up of keynote speakers, breakout sessions and opportunities for delegates to find out how to combat homophobic bullying and comply with forthcoming laws. These include from keynotes:
- Bonnie Greer, Playwright and Commentator
- Nada Trikic, National Advisor on Equalities and Human Rights, Ofsted
And sessions from:
- Teresa Clark, Head of Equality Mainstreaming at the Department for Children Schools and Families
The new public duty and what it means for schools
- Mark Chater, Curriculum Advisor, Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency
How to promote equality through the curriculum
- Rikki Beadle-Blair, Director, FIT
How to use Stonewall's new anti-homophobic bullying film in the classroom
- Stonewall’s Youth Volunteers
On their experiences and how you can support them
- Liam Nolan, Head Teacher, Perry Beeches Secondary School
How a whole school can prevent bullying
The new public duty will require you to proactively consider and accommodate the needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people and promote equality.
Why was the conference needed?
- Stonewall's research in schools uncovered that 98 per cent of young gay people and 95 per cent of secondary school teachers hear the phrases 'that's so gay' or 'you're so gay' at school.
- YouGov polling of secondary school teachers found that homophobic bullying is the most frequent form of bullying after bullying because of weight, three times more prevalent than bullying due to religion or ethnicity.
- Bullying of this type isn't limited to older students. More than two in five primary school teachers say that young people, regardless of their sexual orientation, currently experience homophobic bullying in their schools and three quarters hear children use expressions such as 'that's so gay' or 'you're so gay'.
- However less than a quarter of young people have been told that homophobic bullying is wrong in their school and nine in ten teachers and non-teaching staff at secondary and primary schools have never received any specific training on how to prevent and respond to homophobic bullying.
By integrating teaching on difference and diversity into your work and actively promoting equality you can help to put a stop to this bullying.
In schools that have said homophobic bullying is wrong, gay young people are 60 per cent more likely not to have been bullied and are twice as likely to enjoy going to school and feel part of the school community. Pupils who have been taught in a positive way about lesbian and gay issues are 60 per cent more likely to be happy at school and 69 per cent more likely to feel able to be themselves.
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