Exeter students have been celebrating LGBT+ History Month this month and are taking part in LGBT+ History Month runs for the whole of February that was first celebrated in 2005. The overall aim of LGBT+ History month is to promote equality and diversity for the benefit of the public.  This is done by increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (“LGBT+”) people, their history, lives and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions, and the wider community. 

At West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust family of schools, Year 8 and Year 10 have been learning about gender identity and equality though the West Exe Baccalaureate and displays have been put up around the school highlighting the contributions the LGBT+ community has made to medicine, science and health care.

Students in Years 7 to 10 are taking part in a competition to design the official LGBT+ History Month badge for 2025, the final entries from each year group will be selected to represent West Exe School in the nationwide competition.  The winning design will be made into the official badge for 2025 and sold across the UK, each year there is an official badge for LGBT+ History Month which helps raise awareness and funds. 

Teachers at the school are taking time out of their lessons to encourage discussions on certain individuals that have made an impact on their subject areas, for example, in History students have learnt of the challenges and impact Alan Turing made during World War II, in Geography, students have learnt of Mary Anning’s groundbreaking work in palaeontology and in Maths students have looked at Cecil Belfield Clarkes mathematical formulas for medicating children safely.

At Queen Elizabeth’s School in Crediton, also part of the Ted Wragg Trust, students have had assemblies and undertaken activities to aid in the understanding of the different key terms and some of the history behind the creation of LGBT+ History month. 

Surveys have shown that pupils in schools with strong positive messaging about being LGBT+ have drastically improved wellbeing and feel safer – regardless of whether they are LGBT+ or not.

 Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:

“At the Ted Wragg Trust we pride ourselves on our inclusivity and as such I was delighted to hear about the effort several of our Exeter schools have put into raising awareness of LGBT+ History Month.  It’s absolutely right that schools should be raising awareness and advancing education on matters affecting the LGBT+ community.”