LGBTQ+

Families come in all shapes and sizes. Some children have a mum and a dad, others live with their grandparents and some children have two mums or two dads.

There are now almost 20,000 children growing up in same-sex parent families and many children have lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans parents or family. Children will learn better and will be more engaged if they find their families reflected in class and they will grow up to be more successful learners, confident individuals, and responsible citizens.

In order to prepare children for the diverse society they live in and to prevent poor behaviour and bullying, it is important to talk about difference in general and different families in particular. At Charles Dickens School, we learn about and celebrate different family structures within our PSHE scheme of work. All children learn about the many different family structures and encouraged to talk positively about their own. In Key Stage Two, we use the Stonewall resources, including the videos below, to explore identity including same-sex relationships and gender. These age-appropriate videos explore the stories of four different children.

EPISODE 1

THIS IS JAKE – Jake and Harry are best friends but they don’t like all the same things. Their friendship is put to the test when Jake admits that he’d rather go to a drama lesson than watch Harry’s important football match.


EPISODE 2

THIS IS LINUS – Linus is really proud that his older brother Jordan is about to become a pro footballer. But Linus doesn’t like the fact Jordan has a boyfriend, Toby. He thinks pro footballers can’t be gay and that he’ll get bullied for having a gay brother, so plots to break them up.


EPISODE 3

THIS IS EMMA – Emma loves her two mums and dads even if, like all parents, they can be annoying. But when Emma’s friend tells her she’s not allowed to sleep over because her mum doesn’t like Emma’s parents, Emma starts to wonder if there’s something wrong with her family