A boys’ secondary in Forest Hill has become the only school in London to be recognised with the highest award for tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

Forest Hill School has been granted Stonewall Gold status by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights charity, having previously held a Bronze award for three years.

The school has introduced a written trans-inclusion policy, adapted the school journey policy to be LGBTQ+ inclusive, and collated LGBTQ+ inclusive lessons from across the curriculum.

Mayor of Lewisham Damien Egan and Cllr Chris Barnham, cabinet member for children’s services and school performance visited the school to celebrate with staff and students, and to see their of the work in practice.

Michael Sullivan, Headteacher at Forest Hill School, said: “Huge congratulations to all staff and students who have helped us achieve this fantastic award!

"At Forest Hill School, we are wholly committed to continuing to improve our inclusion and celebration of LGBTQ+ people and identities."

Stonewalls awards programme, developed by their expert education & youth team, allows school's to benchmark their LGBTQ+ inclusion against the latest best practice.

Mo Wiltshire, Director of Education and Youth at Stonewall, said: “We’re delighted that Forest Hill School for boys has won the Stonewall School Champion Gold award.

"Our judging panel was impressed by their dedication to LGBTQ+ inclusion and the work they do to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for their gay, bi, trans and queer students.

“LGBTQ+ inclusive education is transformative for LGBTQ+ young people and makes the world a safer and more accepting place for all.

"It’s wonderful to see Forest Hill School embrace LGBTQ+ inclusion and we look forward to them continuing their great work in this area.”

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