October 2016
Featured in this insight: Education, Medical & healthcare, Public health & wellbeing, Conducting market research in Scotland
Government’s sex and relationships material is not being taught in Scottish classrooms: According to the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign, in a survey of approximately 500 teachers in Scotland, the vast majority admitted to not being aware of, or not using the latest Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RHSP) guidance issued by the Scottish Government.
Time for Inclusive Education is calling for LGTB issues to be made a compulsory subject within the Scottish curriculum to help combat homophobia and bullying within schools.
55 per cent of the 479 teachers in the survey said that they were not aware of the Government’s RHSP materials. In 2014 the materials in questions were amended to include LGBTI issues. Further to this, 35 per cent said that they did not feel that the RHSP guidance was detailed enough and 9 per cent said the same.
The Scottish Government has suggested that teachers utilise the RHSP guidance when they educate pupils about relationships and genders in school. The Government website states that relationships, sexual health and parenthood is an “an integral part of the health and wellbeing area of the school’s curriculum in Scotland.”
Time for Inclusive Education also surveyed approximately 300 current and former pupils to reveal 27 per cent had attempted to commit suicide and a further 15 per cent had attempted suicide more than once – 169 of these students were LGBTI.
Of the pupils in the survey, two in three believed that homophobia was an issue within their school and an additional 75 per cent said that homophobia was never challenged on their school’s campus.
Nearly all of the students (94 per cent) said that they think that all teachers should be trained in LGBTI specifically.
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