THEGAYUK

Tag: No Outsiders

All the latest breaking news on the No Outsiders campaign. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on No Outsiders.

  • Stonewall affirms its support of No Outsiders

    Stonewall affirms its support of No Outsiders

    The UK’s largest LGBT+ charity Stonewall says it is pleased that Parkfield Community School has reaffirmed its approached to LGBT+ acceptance.

    Stonewall UK, the UK’s largest LGBT+ charity has stood by Parkfield Community Primary and its “No Outsiders” campaign saying that it is vital that children “learn about and celebrate diversity at all ages”, but added that it was essential for the school to work with the parents and the wider community to resolved their concerns.

    The statement was released on the 6th March by Mo Wiltshire, the Director of Education for Stonewall.

    Today hundreds of parents protested outside the primary school in Birmingham and demanded that the “No Outsiders” classes be abolished and called for the resignation of its creator, Andrew Moffat.

    The school has been planning to deliver around five lessons to its pupils during the year.

    “This approach also teaches children the invaluable lesson of acceptance, reducing the likelihood of bullying in the long run”

    Wiltshire continued, “Schools that strive to create inclusive environments do so because they know the benefits this has for the whole school community. Not only do children feel able to talk about who they are and who their families are, but this approach also teaches children the invaluable lesson of acceptance, reducing the likelihood of bullying in the long run.

    “We work closely with many faith schools and faith communities around the country to help them deliver LGBT-inclusive education to children and young people.

    “We’re pleased Parkfield Community School has reaffirmed its commitment to creating an inclusive environment for all its pupils and we’re also pleased that it’s planning more conversations with parents and the wider community to resolve concerns, because the support of the community is essential in creating this inclusive approach.’

     

  • Parents at Parkfield School say they’ll protest every Thursday until No Outsiders is cancelled

    Protesting parents outside Parkfield Primary school in Birmingham have said that they protest every Thursday until the pro-LGBT+ equality lessons provided by the school are cancelled permanently.

    Parents of children at the Parkfield Primary School in Birmingham have said that they will protest outside the school grounds every Thursday until equality lessons, called No Outsiders, dealing with LGBT+ issues are cancelled permanently.

    The school is due to provide just five of its No Outsider lessons for its students over the course of the year.

    Last week around 600 children were removed by their parents in protest to the planned lessons. The school has said that it will continue with the lessons next term.

    A crowd of parents and their children gathered outside the school this morning from around 8:20 AM with at least three speakers present, including one from an American Christian organisation, who congratulated the parents on their protest. The protests have taken places for around four weeks.

    There was also a large media presence and police presence at the demonstration.

    The protest was filmed and streamed on Facebook live.

    Parents at the school have suggested that the lessons are “not age appropriate” and that they infringe of their children’s belief as well as their own religious beliefs and suggesting that the lessons were a “safeguarding issue”.

  • Parents are planning another mass protest outside Birmingham school over LGBT+ classes

    Parents from Parkfield Community school are planning a protest outside the school on Thursday over LGBT+ equality classes.

    CREDIT: © tomwang Depositphotos

    Parkfield Community Primary school in Birmingham is to become a protest ground for parents who are against the school’s plans to hold No Outsiders classes – a campaign where the ethos is to promote LGBT+ equality, inclusivity and to question transphobia and homophobia in primary schools.

    In an interview on Facebook live on the ArunRock community page, one community leader said that there was to be a mass protest outside the school on Thursday and told viewers to attend whether they were parents of children at the school or not.

    On Friday last week, around 600 children were removed by their parents from the school in protest of the No Outsiders lesson.

    The school have said that there are no plans to hold these lesson this term – as it focuses on religious studies for the rest of the term.

    A statement from the group reads,

    “The majority of parents at Parkfield are extremely unhappy with the fact that no consultation has taken place on the age appropriateness of the material used to teach their children.

    “As a result of this most parents have signed a letter to the governors calling for the immediate abolition of the “No Outsiders” programme.

    “As parents we have a right over our children & want to make sure we are consulted what is being taught.”

  • School at the centre of LGBT+ lesson protest, says headlines are misleading

    School at the centre of LGBT+ lesson protest, says headlines are misleading

    Parkfield Community school in Birmingham, which has been at the centre of a row over its LGBT+ equality lessons says that headlines about it stopping lessons is “misleading”.

    stevepb / Pixabay

    The school, which was faced with the removal of hundreds of children over plans to introduce LGBT+ relationship and equality lessons, called No Outsider, has said that headlines suggesting it had stopped the lessons was “misleading”. It quoted a headline from The Guardian newspaper.

    In a single Tweet, the school, wrote, “We are concerned this headline is misleading. Parent meetings/ workshops are soon to begin and our no outsiders work continue”.

    https://twitter.com/ParkfieldSchool/status/1102684438583042048

    The tweet echoed a letter sent to the parents of children at the school which said,

    “Up to the end of this term, we will not be delivering any No Outsiders lessons in our long term year curriculum plan, as this half term has already been blocked for religious education (RE).

    “Equality assemblies will continue as normal and our welcoming No Outsiders ethos will be there for all.

    The school has now confirmed that they have put the lessons on hold and will, according to The Guardian, “resume only after a full consultation with every parent”.

    The letter continued,

    “The discussions were a helpful first step and identified the key issues that are concerning parents, including the ethos, the books, the age appropriateness, the lessons and the assemblies. The agreed outcome of the meeting was the need to have a discussion with the school community about the No Outsiders curriculum and how it should be delivered.

    According to The Guardian, around 600 children from predominately Muslim families were removed by their parents from a school in Birmingham on Friday in protest.

    THEGAYUK has reached out for comment from the school, but has not heard back.

     

     

  • Why is Section 28 trending on Twitter?

    Following on from the news that one Birmingham school has stopped its LGBT+ relationships and equality lessons, Section 28 has started trending on Twitter.

    CREDIT: © tomwang Depositphotos

    So for those who don’t know what Section 28 is here’s a little summary.

    What was Section 28?

    Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 meant that local authority employees, including school teachers, could not “intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”.

    Section 28 was supported by a number of religious groups including, Salvation Army, the Christian Institute Christian Action Research and Education, the Muslim Council of Britain, and groups within the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

    It became law in England, Scotland and Wales on the 24th May 1988 under Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government. Section 28 was repealed in 2003 by the Labour government. The Scottish government was able to repeal this bill in 2000 and was, in fact, one of the first pieces of legislation enacted by the new Scottish Parliament.

    Why is it trending now?

    The Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, Shabana Mahmood gave a speech at the end of February in which she raised concerns from her constituents that there was no consultation with parents before schools embarked on the No Outsiders campaign in Birmingham, where the ethos  of the campaign was to promote LGBT+ equality and to question transphobia and homophobia in primary schools.

    Many critics have called the speech shameful and homophobic.

    What’s happened?

    Embed from Getty Images

    Hundreds of predominantly Muslim parents at the Parkfield Primary removed their children from the school on Friday in protest at the No Outsiders lessons.

    The school removed the lesson and in a letter to the parents it said,

    “Up to the end of this term, we will not be delivering any No Outsiders lessons in our long term year curriculum plan, as this half term has already been blocked for religious education (RE).

    “Equality assemblies will continue as normal and our welcoming No Outsiders ethos will be there for all.

    The school has now confirmed that they have put the lessons on hold and will, according to The Guardian, “resume only after a full consultation with every parent”.

    The letter continued,

    “The discussions were a helpful first step and identified the key issues that are concerning parents, including the ethos, the books, the age appropriateness, the lessons and the assemblies. The agreed outcome of the meeting was the need to have a discussion with the school community about the No Outsiders curriculum and how it should be delivered.”

    Some parents have argued that their children are “too young” to be learning about same-sex relationships.

    One mother, Fatima Shah said,

    “We are not a bunch of homophobic mothers. We just feel that some of these lessons are inappropriate. Some of the themes being discussed are very adult and complex and the children are getting confused.

    “They need to be allowed to be children rather than having to constantly think about equalities and rights.”

    What are critics saying?

    https://twitter.com/Tonyblaney/status/1102866557795999745

     

    https://twitter.com/MarkBinmore/status/1102855095753105408

  • School stops LGBT+ lessons after hundreds of parents withdraw their children from classes

    School stops LGBT+ lessons after hundreds of parents withdraw their children from classes

    Around 600 children were removed by their parents from a school in Birmingham on Friday in protest of a lesson that helped children understand about LGBT+ life.

    Wokandapix / Pixabay

    The Parkfield Community primary school in Birmingham has cancelled lessons aiming to teach primary school-aged children about same-sex relationships and gender after the parents of around 600 students at the school withdrew their children in protest.

    The children are thought to be from predominately Muslim families, according to The Guardian.

    The lesson was the brainchild of Andrew Moffat, who was awarded an MBE for his work in LGBT+ equality through the campaign, No Outsiders, where the ethos was to promote LGBT+ equality and to question transphobia and homophobia in primary schools.

    Students were being taught five No Outsiders lessons each school year.

    In a letter to parents, the school said, “Up to the end of this term, we will not be delivering any No Outsiders lessons in our long term year curriculum plan, as this half term has already been blocked for religious education (RE).

    “Equality assemblies will continue as normal and our welcoming No Outsiders ethos will be there for all.

    The school has now confirmed that they have put the lessons on hold and will, according to The Guardian, “resume only after a full consultation with every parent”.

    The letter continued, “The discussions were a helpful first step and identified the key issues that are concerning parents, including the ethos, the books, the age appropriateness, the lessons and the assemblies. The agreed outcome of the meeting was the need to have a discussion with the school community about the No Outsiders curriculum and how it should be delivered.”

    Some parents have argued that their children are “too young” to be learning about same-sex relationships.

    One mother, Fatima Shah said, “We are not a bunch of homophobic mothers. We just feel that some of these lessons are inappropriate. Some of the themes being discussed are very adult and complex and the children are getting confused.

    “They need to be allowed to be children rather than having to constantly think about equalities and rights.”