‘World first’ as Scottish pupils to get LGBTI education
●All state schools will be told to teach equality and inclusion on curriculum
Scottish primary and secondary pupils are to become the first in the world to be taught in a schools’ system that has LGBTI education embedded in the curriculum.
Education secretary John Swinney yesterday announced that all state schools in Scotland will be supported to teach LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual and intersex) equality and inclusion.
The move was warmly welcomed by politicians and gay rights campaigners, but there was concern from religious groups that families who were not committed to “radical LGBT politics” would feel isolated.
Last night the Scottish Government confirmed that the initiative would run in conjunction with its Curriculum for Excellence, which takes effect from when children enter school aged four or five until they leave.
When asked how LGBTI matters would be dealt with when it came to the youngest pupils, a Scottish Government spokesman said it was “for schools to decide how they deliver education, based on the needs of the children or young people”.
Under the initiative, LGBTI equality and inclusion will be taught across age groups and subjects and will be grouped under various themes.
According to Mr Swinney, the themes will include LGBTI terminology and identities; tackling homophobia, biphobia and transphobia; prejudice in relation to the LGBTI community; and promoting awareness of the history of LGBTI equalities and movements.
Speaking at Holyrood, Mr Swinney announced the Scottish Government will accept all 33 recommendations made by the LGBTI inclusive education working group.
It means all state schools will teach pupils of all ages about LGBTI equality, with the government to fund training on this for teachers.
Ministers will also ensure all schools have “appropriate” LGBTI teaching resources for lessons.
Research by TIE (Time for Inclusive Education), which has campaigned for the initiative, had previously revealed four out of five teachers do
They have become a staple part of the commercial Christmas season – the coffee shop “festive drinks” which go on sale from november and claim to offer tasty cheer during the winter months.
But a report has revealed that some of the Christmasthemed drinks created by café chains this year contain as much as 14 teaspoons of sugar.
Caffè Nero’s Belgian truffle hot chocolate contains the most sugar of the drinks analysed by online retailer onbuy.com, at 56.9g – almost twice the recommended daily sugar allowance for an adult and equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar. Another Caffè Nero special was the second most sugary: its winter spiced hot chocolate which contains 51.6g of sugar.
Meanwhile, Pret a Manger’s orange hot chocolate is the most calorific in the survey, with 454 calories, followed by their mint hot chocolate with 452 calories.
Health campaigners have criticised the drinks, warning that consumers should regard them as an “occasional treat”.
Kawther Hashem, registered nutritionist and researcher for Action on Sugar, said: “Coffee shop chains must reduce the amount of sugar in these hot drinks and have nutrition labelling available to all customers.
“These hot flavoured drinks should be an occasional treat, not an ‘everyday’ drink. They are laden with an unbelievable amount of sugar and calories and are often accompanied by a high sugar snack. It is not surprising that we still have high rates of tooth decay.”
Online retailer Onbuy.com analysed the number of calories and grammes of sugar in each festive hot drink from information available on the companies’ websites.
Out of the top ten most calorific and sugary festive hot drinks, seven are based on hot chocolate, while overall 55 per cent of the drinks contain more than the recommended daily intake of sugar.
The drinks selected contained semi-skimmed milk and the cup size opted for was regular, which is roughly 12 oz.
At the other end of the scale, Caffè Nero’s Salted Caramel Latte contained 24.6g of sugar, equivalent to around six teaspoons of sugar – and still using up an adult’s recom- mended sugar intake in one sitting.
The Christmas hot drink with the least sugar was created by Costa, with their caramelised orange latte – which contains just over five teaspoons of sugar, at 20.5g.
Meanwhile, in terms of overall calories, a salted caramel latte from Greggs has 240 calories.
Cas Paton, managing director of Onbuy.com, said: “While Christmas is considered the perfect time to indulge and not worry as much about calories and other nutritional values, it’s still good to be aware that there are ‘healthier’ options when visiting your local coffee shop for one of your favourite festive hot drinks.
“The fact that 55 per cent of the drinks looked at by Onbuy contain more than your recommended daily intake of sugar is enough to stop you from piling on the festive pounds.”
The idea of festive drinks is believed to originate with US coffee chain Starbucks, which introduced its annual “red cups” containing Christmas themed drinks on the other side of the Atlantic in 1997.
A spokeswoman for Pret a Manger said: “Our Christmas hot drinks are delicious and indulgent, and are intended to be enjoyed as an occasional treat. The nutritional information provided includes whipped cream on top, however customers can request their hot drink without cream if preferred.”
Caffè Nero did not respond to a request for comment.