Bournemouth Council has secured a record high achieving sixth place in Stonewall’s 2014 Education Equality Index for preventing and tackling homophobic bullying in schools climbing from ninth position last year.
The Council’s performance was measured by the assessment of three areas; the role of the local authority, working with schools and working with the local community. Their performance was compared to 45 other local authorities who submitted entries to the 2014 index.
Councillor Lawrence Williams, Cabinet Member for Culture and Equality, said:
“Homophobic bullying in schools unfortunately is a very real problem and it’s one we take incredibly seriously. This ranking is great to have as it proves that we are doing the right things. It is vital that every child has the opportunity to learn in an environment they feel comfortable in.
“We have worked in consultation with schools to educate staff on how to deal with this issue and having spoken to many of them, they are now more confident in knowing how to remove this problem from our schools.”
Stonewall is a leading equality charity for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. The Education Equality Index showcases the best performing local authorities from across the country at celebrating difference and preventing and tackling homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools.
Luke Tryl, Stonewall Head of Education said: “Bournemouth Borough Council deserves enormous congratulations on their performance in this year’s Stonewall Education Equality Index. Homophobic bullying still has a detrimental impact on the attendance, achievement and life chances of young people. It’s fantastic to see the work of our top 10 highlighted in the Index, inspiring others to take action to provide teachers with the tools they need to make schools a safe and supportive place to help all young people to achieve their full potential.”
Full results of the 2014 Stonewall top 10 local authorities list will be announced at a ceremony at the charity’s annual education conference held today (4 July) in London.
Michael Gove, MP Secretary of State for Education said: “Stonewall’s research clearly shows that all too often the biggest barrier to tackling homophobic bullying isn’t lack of will, but lack of teacher confidence. This year’s Education Equality Index shows that evermore local authorities are now rising to meet this challenge by providing the training and support that teachers need to challenge homophobia in their classrooms. We congratulate the top ten authorities and welcome the fact that the Index continues to drive performance in this important area.”
The Education Equality Index 2014 is available at: www.stonewall.org.uk/educationequalityindex
