Highland Council named among top 10 in Britain for tackling anti-LGBT bullying

Education Champion

Education Champion


•    The Highland Council ranks at number 8 in Stonewall’s Education Equality Index 2019
•    Index measures local authorities’ success in supporting young LGBT people
•    28 local authorities entered the Index in 2019

Stonewall, Britain’s leading lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality charity, has named The Highland Council as one of the best local authorities for tackling anti-LGBT bullying and celebrating difference in its schools. Highland Council has ranked at number 8 in this year’s Education Equality Index.

The Index is Britain’s definitive auditing tool for local authorities to benchmark their success in tackling homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in local schools and supporting LGBT young people in their local communities. 

This year’s Index received 28 submissions from across England, Scotland and Wales. 

Findings from Stonewall’s 2017 School Report underline why this work is so important - the report found that nearly half (45 per cent) of LGBT pupils – including 64 per cent of trans students – are bullied for being LGBT in Britain’s schools, while two in five LGBT pupils (40 per cent) are never taught anything about lesbian, gay, bi and trans issues at school. 

Sarah Rose, Senior Children and Young People Programmes Manager at Stonewall, said: “Highland Council and all the local authorities who have ranked in the top 10 of this year’s Education Equality Index are undertaking inspiring work to support LGBT young people in their local communities and leading the way on tackling anti-LGBT bullying.

“Stonewall was set up 30 years ago to fight against the introduction of Section 28 – a piece of legislation that allowed bullying to flourish as it effectively banned teachers from talking about same-sex relationships or LGBT issues. The fantastic work of the top-ranking entrants show just how far we’ve come toward ensuring all young people feel free to be themselves, without fear of exclusion or bullying.

“We know that LGBT young people continue to face challenges in Britain’s schools, but with so many local authorities demonstrating such a strong commitment to celebrating difference and supporting LGBT young people, we are one step closer to creating a world where all young people are welcomed and accepted without exception.”

More information about Stonewall’s programmes for local authorities and schools can be found online at: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/supporting-schools 

To find out more about Stonewall’s Children and Young People Conference 2019 visit: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/events/children-and-young-people-conference-2019.

18 Feb 2019