Time for Inclusive Education

Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) is a charity addressing prejudice with education in Scotland’s schools. It delivers services for teachers and pupils, including education initiatives designed to address and prevent homophobic bullying, and to counter the effect of disinformation and online hate in schools. The charity is overseen by a Board, employs teachers, and works in schools across Scotland. Their advocacy and campaigning led to Scotland becoming the first country in the world to introduce LGBT-inclusive teaching in schools to reduce prejudice and bullying. Its patron is Scottish comedian Susie McCabe. Its work has been internationally recognised, and commended by the Council of Europe and the United Nations. In 2025, the charity partnered with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in Germany to develop bespoke educational responses to online hate, disinformation, and far-right extremism through its Digital Discourse Initiative project.

Beginning as a campaign, TIE initially put their case to the public petitions committee of the Scottish Parliament, however, despite finding some support their petition was rejected in January 2016. They were successful in achieving their aims in 2018 when The Scottish Government announced its intention to introduce LGBT-inclusive education in all state schools.

TIE have received the backing of leading Scottish political figures, including Nicola Sturgeon, Patrick Harvie, Kezia Dugdale and Mhairi Black. At their 2016 Spring conference, the Scottish National Party moved a resolution to support the campaign and, during the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, all major parties adopted the group's calls for improved teacher training in their election manifestoes. TIE has the support of the Scottish Parliament, after a majority of MSPs signed the group's campaign pledge and committed to supporting their strategic proposals to advance LGBT inclusive education. In 2017, the Scottish Government formed an LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group with TIE to consider policy recommendations to address the issues the campaign had raised, leading to the adoption of LGBT-inclusive education. TIE was shortlisted for Public Campaign of the Year at the 2016 Scottish Politician of the Year awards, won Charity of the Year at the 2017 Icon Awards and 2019 Shelia McKechnie Foundation Awards, won Public Service Award at the Proud Scotland Awards in 2020, and was a finalist for Community Organisation of the Year at the National Diversity Awards in 2021.

TIE succeeded in achieving its campaign aims in November 2018, when The Scottish Government announced that the recommendations of its LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group had been accepted in full, and that LGBT themes would be embedded into the national curriculum in all public schools. The charity's education work is currently ongoing, with its founders expressing that their work will not be over "until we live in a society where we are no longer required".

In 2025, TIE partnered with the global think tank Institute for Strategic Dialogue in Germany to launch the Digital Discourse Initiative project, providing schools in Scotland with strategies to challenge the effects of online hate and disinformation on young people.

The Educational Institute of Scotland, NASUWT and Scottish Trades Union Congress have affiliated to the charity.