This free Toolkit has been co-developed with teachers in Scotland and presents schools with a structured pathway to take this work forward, supporting teachers to effectively deliver LGBT Inclusive Education in their own school settings, and engage their school community, including staff, parents and carers, in the process.

From 2021, LGBT Inclusive Education is a national requirement for schools in Scotland. This Toolkit fully incorporates the national approach to LGBT Inclusive Education and will support schools to take a proactive, educational approach to addressing prejudice and bullying. Supporting resources are provided for each part of the Toolkit, including template planning and development documents to help schools align this work to their own school values and setting.

By using this Toolkit, schools can ensure that teaching staff at all levels are confident in their own approach, and have the necessary knowledge to improve outcomes for LGBT learners and their peers through curriculum planning and teaching, with the completion of national professional learning.

For teachers who have already completed Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the national professional learning on Delivering LGBT Inclusive Education, this Toolkit will build on developed knowledge and provide an organised and easy to follow process to meaningfully implement this work.

Schools will receive the opportunity for certification for each part of the Toolkit that they successfully complete.

Primary School Certificates:

Secondary School Certificates:

This Toolkit is spread over three parts: from Journey, to Achievement, then on to Excellence. Each part has its own criteria that should be met, in order that a school receives their certification upon completion of each individual part of the Toolkit.

The expectation is that schools should reach Achievement and this will satisfy the requirements to implement LGBT Inclusive Education in your own setting. For schools who opt to reach Excellence, this will represent that a school has embedded LGBT Inclusive Education beyond national expectations.

There is a structured progression pathway presented in this Toolkit, supporting schools to effectively deliver LGBT Inclusive Education in line with the national approach. Each part includes a blend of professional learning opportunities, curriculum design and development, and collaborative working across the school community.

All planning templates that schools need to complete each part of this Toolkit are provided for free.

There is no set timeframe to complete each part of this Toolkit or to claim certification, allowing schools to work at their own pace. 

This Toolkit will support teachers and schools to successfully deliver on national policy regarding LGBT Inclusive Education in Scotland’s Curriculum, supporting efforts to address the prejudice, stigma, and bullying behaviours often experienced by LGBT learners (and learners perceived to be by others) with a proactive educational approach. This should extend across curriculum areas and the Four Contexts for Learning.

Further information about Scotland’s approach to LGBT Inclusive Education is included in Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the national professional learning Delivering LGBT Inclusive Education, freely available to all teachers in Scotland.

This Toolkit and other resources available on lgbteducation.scot are distinct from related national policy areas, which have their own resources and guidance.

The national approach to anti-bullying is outlined in Respect for All: National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People and respectme provide resources and professional learning to schools to support anti-bullying practice.

A national resource for Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood education has been developed by a partnership of local authorities and health boards, with advice from Education Scotland and The Scottish Government.

You will need to identify Lead Staff members who can complete each part of this Toolkit for your school. They will be responsible for co-ordinating the school’s work on each step, using the supporting resources, and returning completion forms to receive certification.

Staff can register as ‘Lead Staff’ through their User Profile on lgbteducation.scot. For a walkthrough of how to do this, please see the supporting resources for Part 1: Journey.

Before using this Toolkit:

1. Identify two or more Lead Staff members who are responsible for completing each part of the Toolkit.
2. Ensure agreement with your Head Teacher or a member of SLT before beginning work on this Toolkit.
3. Ensure that no other colleagues are completing this Toolkit or are already registered as Lead Staff members for your school.

The first part of this Toolkit is ‘Journey’ and can be accessed at the bottom of this page.