High school teachers feel ill-equipped to meet the needs of gay and lesbian students and want more guidance on how to tackle homophobia, the review of a NSW pilot program found.
The Proud Schools initiative, implemented in 12 public schools between 2011 and 2013, was designed to help schools fight homophobia and build a safe and inclusive environment for same sex attracted and gender questioning students.
The NSW government abandoned the model at the end of the pilot, choosing not to roll it out more broadly.
But an independent evaluation found the program was successful and could bring about positive change if replicated in other schools.
Two-thirds of the students surveyed agreed the program had a positive impact on their school, reducing homophobic language and encouraging greater acceptance of gay, lesbian, transgender and intersex students.
The report also found teachers were often unsure about how to best support gay, lesbian or gender questioning students.
The president of the NSW Teachers' Federation, Maurie Mulheron, said there needed to be a state-wide strategy to address homophobic bullying.
"It can't be left up to individual schools to struggle with it," he said. "They need much more explicit materials and resources and it needs to be a priority issue right across the system."
The pilot schools indicated they wanted stronger leadership from the NSW education department and a clear policy on how to deal with homophobia.
Mr Mulheron said it would need to be a policy backed up with resources and professional consultants employed full-time to support teachers.
"We're not just talking about low-level bullying," he said. "This is one of the worst causes of teenage suicide and the best way to tackle homophobia is through education and formal teaching."
A spokesman said the education department supported the Safe Schools Coalition Australia program, which is backed by the federal government, to provide professional learning and resources to help schools address homophobia.
Liz Hammond, of Family Planning NSW, is responsible for the rollout of that program and said 23 schools across the state had signed up.
She said up to 80 per cent of homophobic abuse occurred within schools, making it the ideal setting to tackle the issue.
"If these students are not feeling safe and are constantly vigilant about protecting themselves and staying in a survival mode, they're not going to learn," she said. "It's their right to have access to education and all the opportunities that come with having a good education."
A recent survey of same-sex attracted and gender diverse young people found homophobic bullying was rife in schools, particularly in physical education lessons where 98 per cent of students had heard casual homophobia.
Almost half of those students had thought about self-harm or suicide and about 14 per cent had attempted suicide.
Ms Hammond said teachers needed the skills to interrupt bullying when they heard comments such as "that's so gay" or "you're so queer".
"The schools are doing great jobs, they just need some information, support and guidance," she said. "This is a population that's hard to talk about for some teachers or is invisible."
