Parents and carers worry about their children – of course they do.
They are bombarded with information from so many sources and it’s often the frightening stuff that sticks. Parents and carers want to keep their children safe and they can’t always be sure of the best way to do that.
As teachers, we can help and reassure parents by providing them with information they can trust.
Getting the facts right
In so many cases, a parent or carer with concerns about LGBTQ+ education in school has been misinformed somewhere down the line.
Perhaps they’re concerned that their children will be turned gay or trans by hearing a story. Or maybe they’re worried that children will be labelled by adults and forced to adopt a different gender.
Maybe they’re concerned that their reception-age children are going to hear age-inappropriate things that, in actual fact, aren’t taught until teen years.
Many young parents lived through the Section 28 era themselves and never experienced quality LGBTQ+ education in school at all. So it’s understandable that sometimes they are afraid, misinformed or confused.
Here are my top three ways to have effective conversations with concerned parents about LGBT+ education:
Inform
Invite parents in to see resources used for teaching across all protected characteristics, including in RE and PSHE, plus work you do around encouraging children to be kind and thoughtful and celebrate difference as a good thing.
Listen
Listen to the concerns of parents on an individual basis – what exactly is it they are concerned about?
Educate
Help parents to understand the value of inclusive work for all children. When children see that everyone is welcomed at their school, regardless of their differences, everyone benefits.
Go to popnolly.com/free-resources to download a free ‘Discussions with parents’ pack for SLT, including all the latest legal information and statistics.
Mel Lane (she/her) is a former primary school teacher and teacher trainer, and is now head of education at education resource provider Pop’n’Olly.
