It has been pointed out to me that the Church of England published a document in May 2014 entitled ” Valuing All God’s Children” and that if the new school serving SW Barnstaple adheres to its recommendations as below that will go a long way to allaying some of the concerns I raised earlier and have pointed this out in my response to the consultation.

Ten Recommendations

1. Schools should ensure that their Christian ethos statement emphasises an inclusivity that welcomes all, and reveres and respects all members of the diverse community as individuals who are known and loved by God.

2. All school staff should be trained to recognise and understand how to challenge all types of bullying including homophobic language and behaviour. They should also be trained to offer pastoral support in the context of the issues surrounding sexual identity and homophobic bullying. (See Appendix B and Further Resources for systems and support).

3. Schools should ensure that their behaviour policies include clear expectations that homophobic behaviour and language will not be tolerated and that there can be no justification for this negative behaviour based on the Christian faith or the Bible. (See Appendices C to H for sample policies).

4. In Collective Worship, themes and values that play a part in challenging bullying in all forms should be explored.

5. Opportunities should be offered for pupils to explore why some people seek to bully and that bullying can take the form of homophobic bullying. Strategies of how to protect yourself and others from bullying should be taught and pupils should be confident that if they report bullying it will be taken seriously. (See Further Resources for possible materials).

6. Systems for monitoring and analysing incidents of bullying should include homophobic bullying as a category and the school should regularly review the effectiveness of its curriculum, strategies and ethos in this regard. (See Appendix B for examples of systems for monitoring).

7. Governors should take responsibility for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of anti-bullying strategies and ensure that regular reports about bullying and wellbeing are part of the cycle of governors’ meetings. On all governing bodies there will be a nominated lead governor on safety and behaviour which will include bullying.

8. Within the secondary phase sexual orientation is included as an aspect of Sex and Relationships Education, ensuring that the official Church of England view is taught clearly alongside other viewpoints held by Anglicans, other Christians, and different faith perspectives and world-views. (See Further Resources).

9. Anti-bullying procedures and outcomes should be included as a performance indicator of a Church school that is distinctive and effective and included in the SIAMS framework for inspection.

10. Diocesan Boards of Education and Diocesan Multi-Academy Trusts should monitor incidents of bullying in their schools and develop systems to monitor schools’ strategies for inclusion and bullying, supporting effective implementation.

   Leave a comment