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North Ayrshire secondary schools are championing equality as they work to maintain their LGBT Youth Scotland Charter of Education status.
Guided by the Equality Act 2010 and known in schools as the LGBT Charter, the programme is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Being accredited enables schools to share a positive message championing the LGBT community, with confidence, where all LGBTQ+ staff, parents and learners can be safe, supported and included.
Six North Ayrshire secondary schools have now either achieved or are on their journey to achieving their next level LGBT Charter for Education accreditation.
Greenwood Academy and the North Ayrshire Youth Services team currently hold Silver Level accreditation and are working towards the highest accolade of Gold.
Although not a school – the Youth Services team part of the council’s Community Learning and Development team and should still be recognised equally for their accomplishments to achieve the Silver Level.
Then, Arran High School, Garnock Community Campus, Largs, Kilwinning and Auchenharvie Academies who currently hold Bronze, are the schools working hard this year to level-up to Silver accreditation.
Young People’s Champion, Councillor Chloé Robertson, who recently attended an LGBT History Month information drop-in at Garnock Community Campus said: “I am delighted that North Ayrshire currently has six schools alongside our Youth Services team who are proudly LGBT Charter accredited.
“The LGBT Charter is something that the pupils I have met are really proud of as it helps to improve everyone in the schools’ knowledge and empowers them to be good allies who have the confidence to challenge prejudice and create an inclusive environment for all.
“As a member of the LGBT community, I understand the prejudice that many young people can face so it’s a sign of progress that so many of our secondary schools are engaged in a charter programme designed to support inclusivity and the experiences of LGBTQ+ staff and pupils.”
The council understands that many young LGBT people can often experience a sense of isolation and unfortunately can face many barriers in life including feeling discriminated against or being socially disconnected from their peers.
This is where the LGBT Charter comes in, it is just one of many ways the local authority is working to safeguard young people with protected characteristics so that they can become confident learners and empowered citizens who can be their true, authentic selves.
There are four LGBT Charter award levels offered – Foundation, Bronze, Silver and Gold – with accreditation taking anywhere between 12 and 18 months to complete.
Celebrating LGBT History Month (February 2025)
Pupils and colleagues across Youth Services and Education recently marked LGBT History Month and Purple Friday – a chance to raise awareness of support for young people via LGBT Youth Scotland.
Shout-outs for the great work happening include the following:
- The Umbrella Group’s Purple Friday Bake Sale at Garnock Academy raising £70 for LGBT Youth Scotland (pictured)
- Irvine Royal LGBT film screening and LGBT Icons History session (pictured)
- Series of creative workshops run by North Ayrshire Youth Services to encourage their Modern Apprentices and Joint Youth Forum to create positive poetry to be shared on social media during LGBT History Month (see their poem at the end of this article)
- Youth Services LGBT History workshop during their recent Joint Youth Forum at Caley Youth Hub
- Supportive messaging shared on social media by the Communications team including raising awareness of the LGBT Youth Scotland LiveChat service – a space to chat in confidence online on everything from questioning sexual orientation, to coming out, relationship issues, bullying and sexual health. See example with more info here.
As a child and youth-centred Council, we are committed to doing our very best for every pupil to build a fairer, more equal North Ayrshire for all children and young people where they can be themselves and realise their ambitions.
The LGBT Charter is part of this commitment as the programme supports schools to achieve equity in education and reduce barriers to learning for LGBTQ+ young people benefitting both the school and wider community.
It is also a shining example of how our schools and Youth Services team continue to work tirelessly to ensure schools and other youth settings are as inclusive as they can possibly be.
As LGBT History month comes to an end, we wanted to remind residents of all ages, that no matter where you are in North Ayrshire, we want to spread a message of kindness and acceptance to the LGBT community where staff and learners feel safe, supported and included and where people can thrive in environments that have equality and diversity at their heart.
More on the Charter can be found on the website: LGBT Charter for Education – LGBT Youth Scotland
If you want to access LGBT support for young people near you, email: youthwork@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Stay tuned for more news updates on youth work and equalities via @NAYouthServices on X and @NAYouthServices on Facebook.