Teacher targeted over LGBT work shortlisted for $1m global award

A primary school teacher who has been the target of protests by parents concerned about teachings on LGBT rights and equalities has been chosen as a finalist in a prestigious $1m global education award.

Andrew Moffat, who is assistant head at Parkfield Community school in Alum Rock, Birmingham, is one of 10 teachers from around the world who have made it to the shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2019.

He was selected from more than 10,000 nominations from 179 countries in recognition of his work promoting inclusivity and tolerance among schoolchildren, in particular an equality education programme he devised called No Outsiders.

In recent weeks, however, Moffat’s school, which serves a predominantly Muslim community, has become the focus of demonstrations by parents worried that children are being taught about same-sex couples and gender identity when they are too young.

One mother, whose daughter attends the school, told the BBC: “Sorry, at this age it’s totally wrong. Children at this age don’t even know if they are coming or going, let alone knowing what sexual orientation they will become.”

The school claims Moffat has been the target of a number of threats, which have been reported to the police. It has received 80 formal complaints from parents objecting to Moffat’s No Outsiders programme and raising concerns about sex education, which is being updated and revised by the government ready for teaching in September 2020.

Parkfield, which was rated outstanding by the schools watchdog Ofsted in 2016, was visited by inspectors last week. They are yet to report back. The 2016 Ofsted report praised the No Outsiders programme, which has been adopted by other schools around the country.

Moffat, who is gay and left his previous job because of a backlash over his sexuality, said he was delighted to have made it to the shortlist for the prize, which he hoped would give his work on equality and tolerance a global platform.

Asked about the protests, he said: “I’m quite pragmatic. We’ve got to find a way to engage parents on some issues that many find challenging. Yes, at the moment we are having challenges in my own school. But it’s about not running away from those challenges. What alternative is there?”

Moffat, who was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to equality and diversity in education, said there had been a misapprehension that his No Outsiders work was about sex education when it was about promoting social cohesion by teaching equality and helping children to become tolerant of difference. “Many parents have come to me to say this work is important and they support it,” he said.

Hazel Pulley, chief executive of the Excelsior multi-academy trust to which Parkfield belongs, paid tribute to Moffat’s success. “It’s a tremendous outcome for Andy after all his hard work and dedication. It’s just such important work, enabling us all to live together and learning to accept difference.”

She continued: “Very sadly the school has got caught up in the debate around possible changes to sex and relationships education in 2020. Andy has had threats that were very unpleasant. The police are following certain lines of inquiry.”

The prize was set up to highlight the important role teachers play in society, and the winner will be announced next month at a ceremony in Dubai during the Global Education & Skills Forum. The other finalists teach in Georgia, Brazil, the Netherlands, India, the US, Argentina, Australia, Japan and Kenya.

Announcing the shortlist, actor Hugh Jackman said: “When I was a kid there were lots of superheroes that I wanted to be. But I can tell you right now, from where I stand, with all my experience, the real superheroes are teachers – they’re the ones that change the world.”