Schools in Sheffield are celebrating Pride Month 2018 with a new series of materials focused on the LGBT+ community being launched by Twinkl.
The leading online educational publisher has designed and illustrated an ebook and set of resources aimed at helping teachers and children to talk about different family structures and relationships.
The ebook, titled Part of the Party, tells the story of a young koala and his two dads and is available alongside a set of accompanying resources.
Bethany Eadie, a Key Stage 1 Teacher in Sheffield, said: “It’s fantastic to see Twinkl providing such inclusive resources, promoting equality and diversity in our schools.
“As a teacher I want my classroom to be a safe and welcoming space for all, and using these resources sends a clear message to pupils, staff and parents that we celebrate all identities.
“Not only is it wonderful for children of LGBT+ parents and carers to see their families represented proudly and equally, it is crucially important that all children are shown at school that they can be, and love, whoever they want.
“Having high-quality resources and texts that share and promote this message makes my job as a teacher that bit easier!”
Jon Seaton, CEO and founder at Twinkl, said: “’Part of the Party’ is a beautifully written story with a positive and inclusive message – and what better time to release the book than Pride Month 2018.
“Our hope is that this set of LGBT+ resources will open up a positive dialogue in the classroom, showing that every person is different and encouraging acceptance.”
Frazer Scott, who manages the Pride Project at Twinkl, said: “Support in the form of inclusivity, equal rights, equal opportunities, the right to be listened to, understood, accepted and respected is what any child should expect from their school.
“Our content will enable all pupils to understand that diversity is something wonderful and ought to be celebrated, and that we can show respect to others, no matter who they are, what relationship they are in, what their family structure is like and what their interests and beliefs are.”
Jon added: “A lot of our material is exploratory, and we believe children ought to be encouraged to ask questions. That’s why a number of our books are about asking questions and opening people up to different concepts, helping children to learn about people of different faiths and different sexualities.
“As a business, we want to open people’s minds, rather than closing them. This book addresses a subject that isn’t always touched upon, but we believe it’s a really important topic to discuss.”
Part of the Party is the first in a series of resources focused on LGBT+ inclusion within primary education and will be free to all Twinkl members.
With customers in more than 168 countries, including Christmas Islands, Twinkl has a focus on primary and pre-primary education, but is expanding rapidly into secondary materials.
