A safe place for all: putting an end to discrimination against LGBTQ+ pupils

Content warning: mentions of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and mental health issues.

As part of Pride month, Action Tutoring Communications Assistant, Phyllida Jacobs, investigates the extent of homophobia and transphobia in schools and explores what can be done in the classroom to challenge these prejudices.

School should be a welcoming place where everyone feels included and respected. Yet for many LGBTQ+ pupils, this is not the case.

Research by Stonewall found that nearly half of LGBTQ+ pupils are bullied because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, with one in ten trans pupils being subjected to death threats at school. LGBTQ+ young people are more likely to suffer from mental health problems, and more likely to miss school due to bullying. Although this research also shows that the problem has slowly improved over the last ten years, there is clearly much more work to be done. 

Schools can play an important role in challenging homophobic and transphobic views that pupils may have picked up elsewhere. Many teachers work hard to challenge these prejudices when they arise. However, too often school can be a breeding ground for intolerance.

The discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ pupils in schools today can be traced back to the controversial Section 28. Between 1988 and 2003 (2000 in Scotland), this law prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality” by local councils. As a result, schools stopped teaching LGBTQ+ issues and often did nothing to prevent homophobic and transphobic bullying. A generation of LGBTQ+ people were raised in a culture of silence, where their very existence was denied. After years of campaigning, Section 28 was repealed, but its effects can still be felt today. 

It is now mandatory for schools to teach LGBTQ+ content as part of PSHE, yet two in five pupils report never being taught about these issues. The Department of Education guidance leaves it up to schools to decide how and when the content should be taught, allowing many schools to minimise or ignore LGBTQ+ issues in the classroom. 

It’s clear that more needs to be done to prevent homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools, but in March 2020, the Government Equalities Office withdrew funding from LGBTQ+ anti-bullying projects. This must be seen as a worrying step backwards in the fight for LGBTQ+ inclusion in our schools. 

The strain of lockdown combined with recent negative media attention on trans issues has only made life harder for LGBTQ+ pupils. If we are to create a culture in which all young people feel safe to be themselves, urgent action is needed. Without proper funding for projects specifically addressing homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, and clear guidance on teaching LGBTQ+ issues, the great progress that has already been made will flounder.

Learn all about Stonewall’s campaign for LGBTQ+ inclusive education and how you can show your support here.

Volunteers’ Week 2021: Thanking our fantastic tutors

Volunteers’ Week takes place 1st-7th June every year and serves as a chance to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our communities.

This year’s theme is ‘a time to say thanks’, giving an opportunity to thank every individual that has given up their time to help those in need, over what has been an exceptionally difficult year.

Action Tutoring would like to say a massive thank you to every dedicated volunteer tutor for all your support over the past year.

Your contributions have helped disadvantaged young people across England catch up on the learning missed as a result of the pandemic and given pupils a better chance of reaching their full academic potential.

What our volunteers have achieved this year

The past year has been a tumultuous one. The disruption to learning caused by the pandemic and subsequent school closures has impacted disadvantaged pupils significantly and; with the introduction of the National Tutoring Programme; tutoring has been key in attempting to make up for the time lost.

We are so grateful for the contributions of every single volunteer tutor. Your hard work has allowed us to deliver more tutoring sessions and to support more young people than ever before.

So far, this academic year, 2,485 Action Tutoring volunteers have delivered 23,098 sessions to disadvantaged young people across the country!

The impact our volunteers have made

We know that small group tuition is extremely effective in improving both pupils’ grades and their understanding of the subject. A study from the Education Endowment Foundation calculated that an intense programme of one-to-one tuition could add up to five months’ progress to a young person’s schooling.

Every session that is delivered, therefore, offers significant support to a pupil’s learning and so as this number increases, so does the chance of these young people being able to reach their full academic potential.

Action Tutoring Interim CEO, Jen Fox, said: “2,485 is a huge number. With more tutors than ever before, it’s no surprise that Action Tutoring has been able to double in size this year.”

“Our passionate, diverse, committed volunteer army means that almost 5,000 disadvantaged pupils have had the tutoring support they deserve this year.”

Become a volunteer

Moving forward

Our work in levelling the academic playing field isn’t finished. We need your help to increase the amount of tutoring that we are able to provide and to reach more disadvantaged pupils across the country.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer tutor, please fill out our application form.

Action Tutoring warmly welcomes Randstad as the new NTP delivery partner and reflects on the year so far

Action Tutoring would like to extend a warm welcome to Randstad as the new National Tutoring Programme (NTP) supplier for the next three years. 

The NTP is a positive initiative that is helping disadvantaged young people recover from the educational disruption caused by the pandemic and Action Tutoring is pleased that this support will be continuing. The charity hopes many more disadvantaged pupils across the country can benefit from this academic support and stand a strong chance of reaching their full potential.  

Action Tutoring would like to thank the EEF, Sutton Trust, Nesta, Impetus and Teach First for leading the NTP in its pilot year, in the face of many challenges.  There have been plenty of positive learnings from this year which will help develop an even stronger programme to reach many more young people next year.  

Action Tutoring has been proud to play its part in the catch up drive, working with the NTP, and we look forward to submitting our application to continue as an NTP Tuition Partner over the next three years. 

Thanks to the NTP’s support this year, we have been able to grow more than ever before. This has enabled us to reach many more disadvantaged pupils, those who have been significantly impacted by the pandemic. 

There’s still half a term left of this academic year and we have already been able to reach 4,804 pupils, since October, with our tutoring support. That’s over double the number of pupils we supported last year.

This simply would not have been possible without our incredible volunteer tutors.  2,515 tutors have given their time for free to help our pupils this year, ensuring they are able to make up for the time they lost during the pandemic.  Again, that’s over twice the number of volunteers who supported us last year and we are so grateful to each one.  

Together they have been able to deliver an astonishing 23,573 tutoring sessions, both face to face and online while schools were open and to pupils at home when the schools were shut.

We’re looking forward to working with our partner schools for the rest of the term and seeing our pupils continue to succeed!

To get involved as a volunteer tutor, or to partner as a school, please visit the links below.