A SCHOOL has shown its support for LGBT+ communities by flying a pride flag outside its building.

School Diversity Week, the annual celebration of LGBT+ equality in education run by Just Like Us, runs until June 25 and provides schools with free resources, including free online masterclasses on LGBT+ history by the Museum of London, as well as a panel featuring a lesbian rabbi, a gay imam and a trans priest on faith being LGBT+.

The Hamble School in Hamble and Oasis Lord’s Hill School in Southampton are among many across the UK celebrating School Diversity Week.

The Hamble School is celebrating the week by flying a pride flag outside its school and talking about different types of families with their pupils.

A school spokesperson said: “We’re joining Just Like Us for School Diversity Week, showing our support for LGBT+ pupils, teachers and parents.

“For #SchoolDiversityWeek, we’re celebrating why we want our school to be a place where every child – including those who are LGBT+ or have LGBT+ families – can be themselves at school.”

The charity’s recent report, Growing Up LGBT+, independently surveyed almost 3,000 young people across the UK and found that pupils whose schools had positive messaging about being LGBT+ also had reduced suicidal thoughts and feelings – regardless of whether they are LGBT+ or not.

The survey showed 74% of LGBT+ pupils who have never had positive messaging from their schools have contemplated suicide, but this drops to 65% when their school provides strong positive messaging about being LGBT+.

Dominic Arnall, chief executive of Just Like Us, said: “We’ve seen in our independent research that LGBT+ young people are disproportionately struggling with their mental health, feeling less safe in school and facing more tension at home.

“We’re delighted that thousands of schools across the UK are celebrating School Diversity Week this week and ensuring that young people get the message that LGBT+ people exist and that’s OK.”