Teach First’s LGBT teacher intake doubles

Education charity Teach First has released new figures showing a near-doubling of LGBT+ teachers within its intake.

The proportion of new teachers training with the charity who identified as LGBT+ has increased from five per cent of those who started in classrooms in 2014 to nine per cent who joined at the beginning of this school year in September 2017.

Teach First is one of the largest graduate recruiters in the UK, recruiting around 1,400 teachers each year, equivalent to one in twenty of all new teachers in England and Wales.

The charity says the increase is a sign of positive progress within schools, and that all schools should be creating a welcoming and accepting environment for LGBT+ teachers.

The Stonewall School Report 2017 shows anti-LGBT bullying and language has decreased across Britain’s schools, but almost half of all LGBT pupils still face bullying at school.

At a time when schools need to recruit more great teachers, Teach First says removing barriers for any group is a positive step and that LGBT+ teachers can help drive acceptance in schools.

Patrick Dempsey, Recruitment Diversity Lead at Teach First, said:

"We want all young people to have access to brilliant and inspiring teachers from all backgrounds, and that means we need to make sure we’re recruiting a diverse workforce.

“Being an LGBT+ teacher can be challenging, but few other careers offer this reward. Many participants tell us they want to be the visible LGBT+ role models that they never had at school. It’s important we make sure that all schools are creating a welcoming and accepting environment for staff of all backgrounds so young people are not losing out on potentially great teachers.”