Pride day put a smile on faces

The Pride celebration at Maltby Academy was the first of its kind to be held at the school and saw lessons from every department themed around LGBTQ issues and awareness.

The events also included a musical performance from students.

Chelsea Simon, lead practitioner of personal development and the event’s main organiser, said the day had given students the chance to talk openly about LGBTQ issues.  

“I think it’s important to open up those kinds of conversations that the kids don’t often have with adults,” she said, “whether that be talking about why someone might be gay or why someone might not feel like they’re in the right body.

“In a maths lesson or a science lesson, it’s not a topic that comes up and it’s just really nice to have an environment where kids felt comfortable to talk.”

Ms Simon said many staff had taken the opportunity to learn at the event, noting how teachers frequently asked questions of students wearing less conventional pride flags and colours, such as the pink, blue and white transgender  flag.  

“Teachers were actually asking: ‘What does that mean?’ and it was nice to see that conversation happening,” she added.

“Maltby is an ex-mining town where there isn’t much diversity in some senses, with religion or race or anything, so it is a community which really does need to have these types of conversations.”

The event was also partly organised by the school’s LGBTQ club, a group of around 30 students who meet every Thursday.

Victoria Owen, assistant vice principal, said: “The day left me feeling immensely proud about what our staff and students can achieve when we work as a community.

“It really felt like we were creating memories to last a lifetime, whilst conveying important messages about eradicating prejudice and promoting inclusivity.

“Seeing staff and students collaborate on a community project was really special.

“Students and staff alike were smiling all day.”

Ms Simon also noted how well students had responded to the celebrations.

“It’s an event that could’ve caused quite a lot of implications for students, but we’re so proud of how the kids just got on board with what we were doing and really embraced it,” she said.

“We’re super proud of the kids and the staff for pulling together.”

The school now hopes to make their pride celebration an annual event, taking place in June every year, and to involve other schools across their trust.