Warwickshire teacher wins major award for work on LGBT+ rights

A teacher at a Warwickshire secondary school has won a prestigious award for supporting LGBT+ pupils in her school.

Rebecca James, a drama teacher at Ash Green School, was honoured with the Jayne Bloomfield LGBT Ally of the Year award in recognition of the work she did as part of her work with Ambition Institute, a charity that helps develop teachers.

The award, which was presented by The Proud Trust on Saturday 18 May, recognises the hard work and achievements of people making a positive difference to the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans young people.

Ms James took a stand when a pupil came to her after being verbally abused by a peer. She said: “I couldn’t let it go. Even though I knew the other student probably didn’t know the impact of the words they had said, it made me feel heartbroken. It’s my role as an educator to prepare my pupils for the world – ultimately this means supporting them and making them comfortable around people from all walks of life.”

Ms James designed and implemented a four-strand approach to tackle the issue:

Firstly, she set up a weekly support group, open to both LGBT+ identifying pupils and their allies. The student-led meetings offered a safe place for pupils to discuss LGBT+ role models, history and issues in the media, as well as personal experiences.

Secondly, she acted as a source of support and a mentor to staff by running regular CPD sessions.

Thirdly, Ms James organised one-to-one safeguarding and wellbeing support for students who were identified as needing extra support. This included daily support and conversation to ensure identified pupils felt comfortable both in school and at home.

The fourth strand included community outreach and parental engagement in which she connected with regional LGBT+ groups to help support on internal activities such as staff training and fundraising.

Ms James completed her work as part of the Teaching Leaders training programme run by Ambition Institute – a graduate school for educators which is funded by the Department for Education.The programme supports middle leaders to drive change and helps prepare them for senior leadership roles.

Melanie Renowden, interim CEO of Ambition Institute said: “Rebecca’s incredible work – and the work of educators like her – is vital in making our schools more inclusive. Every child, regardless of their orientation or identity, deserves to feel safe and respected.

“We’re really pleased that our programme could support Rebecca to create a more inclusive environment, through which she has set the conditions for every child to succeed.

“Improving teaching and school leadership is the best way to make sure every pupil gets a great education, and that's why all educators deserve the best professional development

“Through our programmes we want to ensure there are expert teachers in every classroom being led by exceptional school leaders at all levels.”

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