School Testimonials
What students say:
'When Suran came and spoke to my PSHE class and
had a little chat about what it's like for gay people in the
community and how they dealt with coming out it really helped me
and opened my eyes about what people go through. It actually helped
me as well because it helped me to understand my sexuality and
helped me realise that I was not alone and it also helped my class
mates understand what it was like for gay people.'
Year 11 student
'It was really interesting to actually meet a gay
person and be allowed to ask questions about being gay as it's not
something we had experienced before. I think some people in the
class who are a bit ignorant realised gay people can be pretty
normal too!'
Year 11 student
'For me, as a lesbian who is not really out yet,
it was good to see what people in my class really thought and
amazing to find out some of them know LGBT people or have them in
their family. It made it easier for me to know what they might say
if I came out to them and I realised I could tell some of my
friends and they would be ok about it, which I have done now and
it's been ok so far.'
Year 11 student
'My big sister is a lesbian and I get really
annoyed when people make homophobic comments so it was nice to have
someone make the class understand it is wrong and open their minds
a bit'.
Year 10 student
'I would recommend this workshop to other
students because now when we say lesbian, gay. bisexual or
transgender, nobody laughs in our class. And some of the boys won't
use those words as an insult'.
Year 5 student
What teachers say:
Nower Hill High School is an extremely diverse
and inclusive school which is committed to equal opportunities for
all. However, there are certain attitudes that need to be
challenged if LGBT pupils are to feel safe and supported at school.
The widespread use of the word 'gay' as a derogatory term
along with more explicit homophobic attitudes needs to be
addressed, we believe, through education and openness rather than
sanctions. We believe therefore that the work that Diversity
Role Models do is very well-suited to our needs and hope that
through their workshops our pupils will develop a more open-minded
and tolerant approach to LGBT people. This, combined with other
work we intend to do in this area, we hope will create a much safer
environment for LGBT (or potential) pupils and enable them to feel
confident and comfortable with who they are.
Deputy Head, Nower Hill High School
The focus for anti-bullying week in YR10 PSHE
this year has been around the topic of homophobic bullying. In this
day and age where reports still show for example that 95% of
respondents in a recent teachers survey for Stonewall said they
heard homophobic language being used in their school, it is vital
to get a strong message across about how this type of bullying is
very prevalent. I would like the DRM workshops to take place as
they will help to reinforce our schools message that homophobic
bullying is not acceptable. I believe it would be of great benefit
for the children to meet and talk to different role models whose
sexual orientation may or may not be different to theirs. An
outside speaker can often get a message across in a very different
way to a pupil and these positive role models may actually change
pupils perceptions, prejudice's and fears.
Chris Walsgrove, Head of PSHE. Heathland
School
Diversity Role Models have a simple, clear
message to bring to schools across Britain about the consequences
of homophobia on the lives of young people. Their workshops opened
the eyes of students at The Elmgreen School to the potential
damage of perpetuating stereotypes for all students, whether
they identify themselves as LGBT or not. Meeting role models who
explain their experiences and life stories helped many of our
students understand the bullying and difficulties that many
LGBT people face as they make the journey to adulthood. This
process of 'usualising' being LGBT allowed many students to
question previously held beliefs and develop their confidence to
reject and challenge the casual use of 'gay' as a term of abuse, a
practice that has, unfortunately, become so prevalent amongst young
people.The workshops encouraged our students to express their own
views and consider the views of others in a safe environment.
No-one was made to feel that their views were 'wrong'; instead they
were invited to consider the effect of prejudice and discrimination
on those who suffer homophobia.Since the workshops, many of the
students who attended them have talked to staff about
diversity and difference - and are clearly opposed to the
discrimination against LGBT people that still exists in
British society.
Moira Nolan, Assistant Head. Elmgreen School
It was lovely to meet you both and as a year
group, the students appeared to enjoy it very much; it was
fantastic for the students to have the message in more of a
'real-life' context from positive and very approachable role
models. I was particularly impressed at the discussions your
presentation helped to facilitate, especially amongst those
students for whom the subject may have been one which, in another
context, they may have felt uncomfortable in or may have been less
mature about. It was great to see students engage with your
message. I know our Sixth Formers also enjoyed it- and by the
afternoon yours was the session of choice for all of them!
Sarah Barratt, Conyers School
I have some good news. Since your last visit to
Kingsbury High, our
anti-homophobia group Cambio now has 16 members, an increase of 15
since the start of this school year. I can say that this positive
outcome is directly related to your workshop and the fact that your
visits re-started a dialogue around homophobia in our school.
Siobhan ONeill, Kingsbury High
Diversity Role Models came into school and
delivered workshop sessions to the whole of year 8. The sessions
took place in Humanities lessons supported by the teachers. I had
met with Suran to discuss the content and format of the sessions
and was happy with what she proposed. A video of her working
with Year 6 pupils at a nearby primary school was interesting and
supported what she was saying about the aims of the session.
DRM work with 'role models' who support the sessions. These role
models come from all walks of life and talk to students about their
experiences. This was the one aspect that probably concerned
us the most - not knowing what they would say or how they
would connect with 12 year olds. Having seen the workshops several
times now, we made the right decision to invite them in. The
students responded extremely well and engaged with all aspects. The
role models were a complete revelation ranging from an actor in a
well known TV soap to a senior vice- president of a major
bank. They talked about their experiences and answered questions
with ease. The students got so much from it but gave a lot to
the session too. They were open about their feelings and thoughts
on a range of issues and talked about the
experiences in their lives and families. The feedback was excellent
and other students and staff soon found out all about it.
Julie Griffith, Assistant Head. Holloway
School
Suran's honesty and affable nature helped my
students to ask valuable and far-reaching questions which
challenged their own perceptions on relationships and gender. The
session was a lively and fun approach to addressing homophobic
bullying and asked the students to reconsider their use of
language. I was very impressed by the way this was taken on board.
Across the year group the students have embraced the learning
outcomes and are generally more open minded. I would recommend a
vist from Suran not only for students but also for teachers,
parents and governors."
Heather Osborne-Beder, Curriculum Leader. Learning for Life,
Charles Edward Brooke School
"I wanted to write to you to thank you for coming
in to see my year 11 pupils this week. Your visit highlighted
how much needs to be done to tackle homophobia in schools. The
hatred that some of the pupils expressed towards gay people was so
virulent, it was quite shocking. I was extremely impressed with the
way you handled their attitudes. You managed to remain calm,
neutral and respectful, and you were incredibly patient with them.
I was also impressed with how quickly you were able to establish a
rapport with them and gain their trust so that they felt
comfortable to express themselves honestly. It did seem to me that
even within that hour they softened their attitudes. I do strongly
believe that it is only through meeting people who are the object
of our prejudices that we are forced to confront them and change.
You coming in to school really was an important step for my pupils
in making them confront their own prejudices and forcing them to
see gay people as real and normal! I am sure that this will change
their attitudes to gay people both in and out of school, and also
make them think twice about engaging in homophobic bullying. Thanks
again for coming in. Your visit was such a success that my school
will now be planning for visitors like you to come in to
address all classes next
year."
Megan Worthing-Davies, Citizenship. Gladys Aylward
School
DRM has really helped us as a school to raise
awareness and to start tackling some of the inequalities that face
LGBT people in society. This is of course vital in helping us
demonstrate our Improving Equalities agenda to Ofsted and
others.
Ronan Kavanagh, Parliament Hill School
