Lesbian and gay teachers and sex/uality education policy enactment in schools

This paper examines lesbian and gay teachers’ identities and experiences in schools in the context of school policies relating to homophobia and to sex and sexuality education. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with twelve lesbian and gay teachers working in English and Welsh schools, and using Ball, Maguire and Braun’s (2012) concept of ‘policy enactment’, I analyse the ways in which school policies around homo/bi/trans-phobic bullying and sex/uality education and their enactment are perceived by lesbian and gay teachers. The article examines teachers’ personal experiences in relation to sexuality in school, and then broadens out into related issues for pupils and a discussion of the varied approaches to sex and relationships education in the schools. I argue that the enactment of these policies is not straightforward, and that they could be better supported by a more inclusive and comprehensive sexuality education curriculum

‘We believe in every child as an individual’: Nursery School head teachers’ understandings of ‘quality’ in early years education

This article addresses the issue of ‘quality’ in early years education, with the aim of highlighting the voices of nursery school head teachers. Government early years achievement statistics display a reductive and de-contextualised focus on young children’s developmental outcomes, with measures of the percentage of five-year-olds achieving a ‘good level of development’ at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Early years practitioner understandings of ‘quality’ are more sophisticated and multi-dimensional, and yet are marginalised in debates around what constitutes ‘quality’ early years provision and around what are desired outcomes for young children and how these can be achieved. Using qualitative data from interviews with nursery school head teachers and classroom teachers from across England, the article analyses these participants’ understandings of ‘quality’ early years provision. The study finds a consensus amongst these teachers that quality provision emanates from the professional skills of staff providing education for the whole child and their wellbeing: they conceive of ‘quality’ as relating to a depth of understanding of each child as an individual, enabling the child to progress in their learning

A Queer Sexuality Education: the possibilities and impossibilities of knowing (accepted for publication)

This chapter examines queer theoretical ideas in relation to English school policy and practice in relationships and sex education. It first analyses the policy context for teaching about sexuality, with the statutory Relationships and Sex Education guidance of 2019 replacing previous guidance dating from 2000. It then uses queer theoretical, sociological and psychological work to explore and unsettle the notion of childhood innocence, and examines uncertainties around knowledge being ‘age appropriate’. It goes on to discuss the broad shift from a sole focus on anti-homophobic education to an approach which seeks to challenge heteronormativity in schools. Finally, it offers up the potential of a queer sexuality education as one which embraces diversity, recognises uncertainty and complexity, and enables wider possibilities for children

Lesbian teachers' identity, power and the public/private boundary

This article examines lesbian teachers' negotiation of the public/private boundary in the school, focusing on identity management in the context of the heterosexualised space of this public institution. The study is based on interviews conducted with six lesbian teachers working in London secondary schools. I examine the teachers' responses, and the ways in which they mediate the 'polite' silences in relation to lesbian and gay sexuality, as situated in a framework of liberal tolerance found in public and political domains. Sex and relationship education guidance, as well as recent policy initiatives concerned with homophobic bullying, play an important role in framing the discourses around sexuality in the school. However, the continuation of problems with heterosexism and homophobia in schools is evident. I argue that the lesbian teacher's negotiation of the public/private boundary and of power relations involves the heightened importance of a 'good teacher' identity, and an emphasis on professionalism. While these teachers do not speak of direct victimisation or abuse, much change needs to take place to transform the school into a place where lesbian and gay sexuality may be named without fear

Motherhood, choice and the British media: a time to reflect

In this paper we ask: How is motherhood being represented in the British media, especially in relation to choice, age and fertility? Do media discourses reflect a redefinition or transformation of 'motherhood' in the twenty-first century, and what implications do they have for feminist research into maternal identity and motherhood? As three Ph.D. students from The Open University, all working on different aspects of motherhood, we examine and discuss the significant debates around motherhood, fertility and choice taking place recently in the British media. In the context of increasing divergence from traditional family forms, advances in medical technology such as assisted reproductive techniques, and changing attitudes to sexual behaviour and marriage over the past few decades, motherhood and parenting remain contested sites in the public domain. The availability of contraception and of abortion has given rise to increased choice, and yet women's fertility choices are increasingly subject to scrutiny and criticism. In particular, media debate in the UK has focused on challenges to traditional motherhood and the implication that the family is 'in crisis'. This is particularly evident in the coverage of teenage mothers, older mothers and women who delay motherhood. Such media representations of older and younger mothers and those women who 'leave it too late' reveal significant insights into the social construction of motherhood