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Hundreds of Birmingham parents protest over teacher running LGBT lessons

Parents and children demonstrate outside the Parkfield Community School, Birmingham.(Caters)
Parents and children demonstrate outside the Parkfield Community School, Birmingham.(Caters)

Hundreds of parents have demonstrated outside a Birmingham school in protest at lessons on homosexuality and gender.

The parents accuse the Parkfield Community School of indoctrinating their children.

The protest was aimed at ‘No Outsiders’ lessons at Parkfield – motto, ‘Learning for Life’ – which aims to teach pupils about the Equality Act and British values.

The school, which is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted runs five lessons a year covering areas such as gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnership for pupils aged up to 11.

The protests are against a series of classes run by assistant headteacher Andrew Moffat (Caters)
The protests are against a series of classes run by assistant headteacher Andrew Moffat (Caters)

Books being read as part of the programme include: Mommy, Mama and Me and King & King – stories about same-sex relationships and marriages.

However some parents claim the lessons promote sexuality.

Mums and dads, in the predominantly Muslim Saltley area of Birmingham, have been seen outside the school waving placards with messages including ‘exploiting children’s innocence’ and ‘education not indoctrination’.

One parent Fatima Shah says she has taken her 10-year-old daughter out of the school because of the lessons.

‘It’s inappropriate, totally wrong. Children are being told it’s OK to be gay yet 98 per cent of children at this school are Muslim. It’s a Muslim community,’ she told Birmingham Live.

She added that she wanted her children to learn about English, maths and science.

Demonstrating parents and children (Caters)
Demonstrating parents and children (Caters)

On Thursday, Christian evangelists joined the protests.

Assistant Headteacher Andrew Moffat says he has received ‘nasty messages’ from some angry parents but says he will continue.

One leaflet handed out to parents criticised Mr Moffat for coming out.

‘What keeps me going is the support from the school which is absolutely brilliant, the DfE, Ofsted, the city council,’ he said.

‘There are lots of people recognising that this work is important and that’s what you have to hold on to.’

The incident has even gained the attention on social media of comedienne Shappi Korsandhi, who is backing the school.