Education
Discrimination and Schools
The 2005 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA 2005) made it illegal to discriminate against people living with HIV from the point of diagnosis. This means that schools cannot discriminate against pupils or staff because they are HIV-positive. It also means that schools should make reasonable adjustments to ensure people living with HIV can work or study at the school. Despite these legal protections,
there are still cases where children are refused a place or excluded and staff are sacked or not employed solely because they are living with HIV.
It is important to remember:
- Having a child living with HIV in school poses no risk to staff or pupils. There is no known case of an HIV transmission occurring at school.
- HIV cannot be passed on by spitting, biting, small cuts or grazes, sharing utensils or toilets seats. And no case has ever been recorded of HIV transmission from child to child by biting, fighting, playing or any other normal childhood interaction.
- Virtually all HIV positive children are completely healthy for the majority of their school career. With appropriate treatment and care, they can live a long and healthy life.
- Children living with HIV have regular clinical check-ups and those that need medication may take it at home once or twice a day.
- HIV suppresses the immune system so children living with HIV have to take care not to catch childhood illnesses, such as measles or chicken pox as these can have severe health implications for them.
If you are a school and would like more information please download our HIV in Schools Pack below or contact policyandcampaigns@nat.org
If you have experience of HIV discrimination in schools that you would like to share you can do so in the feedback section of the website.
HIV in Schools Pack
The National AIDS Trust wants young people to have an understanding of the realities of living with HIV and so has produced a practical resource for teachers providing suggestions on how to integrate HIV into the national curriculum for different subjects within key stages three and four. It includes lesson plans, ideas for assemblies and HIV fact sheets.
Sections of the 'HIV in Schools' Pack produced for World AIDS Day 2007 are available to download below.
Introduction
HIV Facts
Lesson plans - key stage 3
Lesson plans - key stage 4
Teaching about HIV in PSHE
Assemblies and other ideas
Further information and resources
Feedback form
Copies of the pack are available free of charge to secondary school teachers. Contact Sheonaidh Johnston for more details: sheonaidh.johnston@nat.org.uk / 020 7814 6729.
Sex Education in Schools
The National AIDS Trust is a member of the Sex Education Forum, which is campaigning to make sex and relationships education a compulsory part of the school curriculum. At the moment, schools only have to teach the biological side of sex, contraception and STIs. This means that many people leave school without receiving adequate education about how to protect themselves from HIV and STIs when having sexual relationships.
SRE enables young people to:
- To understand what is risky behaviour and what is not
- To be able to negotiate condom use and safer sex
- To avoid being pressured into unwanted or unprotected sex, particularly linked to issues of peer pressure, drugs and alcohol.
More information about the Sex Education Forum.
Angels in America Education Pack
The National AIDS Trust, Headlong Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith have produced an education pack for schools exploring some of the questions raised by the Pulitzer Prize winning play Angels in America. The aim of this resource is to engage young people on subjects including HIV and homophobia through the medium of drama, and to encourage debate and discussion on the issues raised by Angels in America. The education pack is available free of charge to all secondary schools and can be downloaded here.
To share your thoughts and experiences on education and HIV please contact Sheonaidh Johnston, Policy Officer: sheonaidh.johnston@nat.org.uk / 020 7814 6729.
