"Many schools find it difficult to tackle the issues," said Sue Sanders, co-chair of School's Out!, an organisation working for LGBT equality in education. "The word gay is often used as a put-down in the playground, and schools have less skill and confidence in dealing with this than with racism."
Sanders said LGBT issues were often invisible in schools and that a much clearer stance, led by the Department for Education and Skills, was needed to ensure schools were inclusive, enabling both teachers and pupils to be "out and proud". The new guidelines were therefore very welcome, she added.
John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, which published the guidelines last week, said significant advances had been made in tackling prejudices about sexual preference and sexuality in general.
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