Increasing LGBT+ Awareness

At Reed’s, we pride ourselves on having an inclusive environment for all members of the school community. In particular, a focus this year has been discussing LGBT+ issues with pupils. To reinforce these messages we were lucky enough to have Darren Williams, representing the charity Stonewall, run a whole-school Assembly. He talked about growing up gay and how we all need to make a concerted effort not to use homophobic and sexist language – it’s lazy word choice and is hateful and hurtful to those on the receiving end. To further reinforce this message we will be running the Rainbow Laces campaign on Sports Day. All members of the community will be encouraged to pay £1 for a pair of rainbow laces to put in their trainers and sign a proclamation. In addition, there is now a display of LGBT+ books in the Library, including everything from a graphic novel about an ice-hockey player to a non-fiction book about growing up transgender. By broadening the range of age-appropriate resources available, we hope that all pupils will feel better informed about the diverse society in which we live.           

Tim Silk, Head of Drama