On Wednesday 2 March 2022, Reading Blue Coat very proudly received the Rainbow Flag Award, a certification of positive LGBT+ inclusion and visibility.

The award was first sought out by former-Director of Sixth Form, Mr George Morton, in the Spring term of 2021, when he began to pursue a non-binary dress code for the Sixth Form. This involved the removal of gendered terminology, as well as opening the whole code up to people of any gender. The new dress code has been respectfully received by the School community, with members of the Sixth Form choosing to wear what they feel represents them best.

The Award is split into six categories, ‘skilled teacher’ being the first. Blue Coat, committed to this by offering LGBT+ training to all staff during the INSET days before the start of the Autumn and Spring terms, and focussed on appropriate language, non-gendered terms and understanding the use of proper pronouns. Another of the categories is ‘Student voice’ and was awarded on the basis of our Newton Society, a society for LGBT+ students within the School, to meet with likeminded people in a safe space. Earlier this term, the Newton Society hosted drop-in sessions for staff, and invited teachers and colleagues to come and ask questions to gain a deeper understanding.

Dr Sarah Langdon, Blue Coat’s Rainbow Flag Award Co-ordinator, said ‘The Newton Society is the School’s LGBT+ group. The Society is open to everyone in all year groups and meets once a week. it is a safe space to socialise with likeminded people, discuss LGBTQ+ issues and offer support. As well as meeting weekly, the Newton Society also puts on school wide events and offer LGBTQ+ education to both students and staff. Representatives of the Newton Society are also in regular communication with the Senior Leadership Teams to discuss strategies for ensuring Blue Coat is a safe space for our LGBTQ+ community.’

Other categories included ‘Pastoral Support’, ‘Effective policies’ and ‘Supportive Governors and Parents’, for whose support we are incredibly grateful. The final category of the Rainbow Flag Award is for the ‘Inclusive Curriculum’. Blue Coat achieved this by threading themes of equality and LGBT+ inclusion into subjects such as PSHE, English and History.

We are so proud of our pupils, staff and community for supporting our celebration of LGBT+ inclusion and visibility, and grateful to The Rainbow Flag Award for recognising the School’s hard work. For more information on The Rainbow Flag Award, click here https://www.rainbowflagaward.co.uk/