Northamptonshire academy trust board member blasts homophobic sex education policy as 'horrendous'

A board member at a Northamptonshire academy trust which had a ‘horrendous’ ‘homophobic sex education policy on its website has said the trust will now ‘move heaven and earth to demonstrate our commitment to diversity’.

East Midlands Academy Trust board member Stephen Morales has told the Times Education Supplement (TES) that difficult questions are now going to be asked about how the policy, which linked HIV with homosexuality and banned promotion of homosexuality and bisexuality, had been hosted on its website.

The policy was exposed after a bisexual teacher saw the policy while researching a job vacancy at the Northampton International Academy, which is part of the trust.

They were shocked at the policy calling it a throwback to the dark ages and linked to the much despised and repealed Section 28 which banned promotion of homosexuality in schools.

The trust, which also runs Prince William School in Oundle, said the policy had been created when it was named EMLC, and is due for revision. EMLC was first opened in 2013. The policy was live on its website until the story broke and was then taken down.

Mr Morales, who is also CEO of the Institute of School Business Leadership, told the TES: “I’m not defending this oversight. This is horrendous. I can’t sugar-coat it. This is a line which has come from a previous incarnation of the trust. The sad thing is that none of us believe it, and it is so opposed to our core values. We have learned something here and will be asking some difficult questions. It was a complete error.

He admitted: “This is a story that I expect is going to raise quite a few eyebrows in a world where, in some cases, there is a divisive culture.

“But I have to emphasise that this is not us. We have made a mistake because we have not spotted this early enough. We will move heaven and earth to demonstrate our commitment to diversity.”

Asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Wednesday if the trust wanted to apologise for the offence caused it said it had nothing to add and referred back to its earlier statement.

This said: “The statutory DfE guidance around sex and relationships has been updated and will take effect in September 2020. The policy referred to is an old policy developed under the existing DfE guidance from 2000. Ahead of the forthcoming change in guidance, a new policy is due to be presented to our trust board at its next meeting in April 2020.

“As a trust, we strongly believe in equality of opportunity for every pupil and teacher across our schools, as stated in our Equalities Policy 2019-21.

“The relationships and sex education delivered within our schools is fully inclusive and we operate a strict no-tolerance approach to bullying across the trust and work hard to promote our schools as safe and inclusive learning environments for all pupils, staff and volunteers.”

The trust had however changed the wording from the 2000 guidance which has said promotion of sexual orientation was not permitted and instead singled out homosexuality and bisexuality.

The teacher who originally spotted the policy said: “I am delighted to see that a senior member of the academy trust has finally acknowledged how hurtful these words were, and that the newer members of the board have promised to do everything they can to show that they have changed.

“If this statement reflects the views of the rest of the board more generally then I will be delighted to see this zombified version of section 28 finally put to the rest.

“The proof in the pudding will be if their new policies are fully inclusive, and whether they are prepared to work with the local LGBT+ community to get them right. Hopefully this means that all students and all teachers, regardless of background, will be treated with the respect they deserve.”