TWO initiatives to tackle homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic (HBT) bullying in faith schools and faith communities have been awarded money from the Government’s Equalities Office.

The children’s charity Barnardo’s and the campaign group Stonewall will each work with faith organisations and schools in separate projects to address bulling and support LGBT young people in faith communities.

The Barnardo’s project will include training for teachers in schools identified by local authorities as in need of support in this area. The charity has produced a tool-kit for use in schools, including views from different religions, which was devised in consultation with faith groups, including Leicester Cathedral and All Hallows’, Leeds. Its chief executive, Javed Khan, said: “The funding will provide the much-needed resources to tackle HBT bullying at its core.”

Stonewall will also deliver training, and provide guidance and resources for teachers and pupils. Its head of projects and programmes, Dominic Arnall, said: “We now work with a total of 209 Church of England schools and also with Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and Methodist faith schools. . . We want to recognise the excellent work that many Church of England schools have already done to tackle HBT bullying.”