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No Outsiders lessons - including some featuring gay, lesbian and bisexual characters - will NOT resume at a Birmingham school until peace talks with protest parents "reach a resolution".

The lessons celebrating difference and equality were due to resume after Easter, despite heated protests outside the gates of Parkfield Community School in Saltley.

But now school chiefs have decided to suspend the lessons while teachers and parents work together "over the coming days and weeks" to find a solution.

They say they hope the children who have been taken out of school to take part in protests will now return to classes.

In a statement, a school spokesman said: "Until a resolution has been reached, No Outsiders lessons will not be taught at Parkfield and we hope that children will not be removed from school to take part in protests."

Increasingly heated protests have been held outside the primary school, led by parents who claimed elements of the No Outsiders programme were unsuitable for young children.

Some of the protesters say the lessons unnecessarily "promote homosexuality" and "tell children it is OK to be gay"- messages which they say are at odds with given their religious beliefs.

Today (THURS), a huge protest was planned outside the school gates once more but, after school announced No Outsiders has been temporarily pulled, it was postponed overnight.

A spokesman for Parkfield Parents Community Group said: "We, the representatives of Parkfield Parents Group, have had a positive

meeting with the Department of Education to discuss serious concerns we have with the 'No Outsiders' programme and its implementation at Parkfield School.

(Image: Birmingham Mail / Darren Quinton)

"We made our position clear, that the No Outsiders programme cannot continue to be taught at Parkfield School and that a new programme needs be negotiated, with which parents are happy and meets the legal requirements of the Equality Act 2010.



"The school have agreed that, 'Until a resolution has been reached, No Outsiders lessons will not be taught at Parkfield'.

"In view of this development, we have decided to postpone the protest for Thursday 14th March 2019.

"We will await further developments early next week when we expect detailed proposals to be tabled.

"We will then review our actions with respect to protests and school-wide withdrawal of children.

"We have advised and notified parents that the protest scheduled for Thursday 14th March 2019 is not taking place and that we are keeping future protests under review in view of developments.

"We welcome these developments and reiterate that the school needs to work with parents in a spirit of partnership and co-operation - and not against them in educating their children."

The stance against "promoting homosexuality" has sparked a backlash from equality campaigners and LGBT activists across the country.

The full Parkfield Community School statement, posted on its website, reads: "Nothing is more important than ensuring our children's education continues uninterrupted.

"Yesterday (Tuesday), both parents and the trust held constructive discussions with the Regional Schools Commissioner and, as a result of these discussions, we are eager to continue to work together with parents, over the coming days and weeks, to find a solution that will support the children in our school to continue their education in a harmonious environment.

"Until a resolution has been reached, No Outsiders lessons will not be taught at Parkfield and we hope that children will not be removed from school to take part in protests."

(Image: Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live)

The decision comes just days after Ofsted ruled the No Outsiders lessons were age-appropriate for youngsters at the primary school.

Senior Ofsted inspector Peter Humphries, who led an inspection visit last month, said a 'very small but vocal minority' of parents were opposed to the No Outsiders lessons: "Their view is that the PSHE education and equalities curriculum focuses disproportionately on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues and that this work is not taught in an age-appropriate manner.

"Inspectors found no evidence that this is the case."

A disturbing video of a rally of protestors outside the school, featuring young pupils joining in chants of 'shame, shame, shame', went viral last week, triggering national debate about the rights of parents over educational content.

The No Outsiders programme was started by the school's gay assistant head teacher Andrew Moffat.

Mr Moffat MBE had been piloting the programme, which is run alongside sex and relationship education (SRE) lessons.

Its ethos promotes LGBT equality and challenges homophobia in primary schools.

Books about same sex marriage including Mommy, Mama and Me and King & King were just a couple of the books being read to children.

(Image: Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live)

Mr Moffat has come under personal attack over the programme, amid claims from some of the mostly Muslim parents that No Outsiders is inappropriate for their children.

The teacher, currently shortlisted for a world’s best teacher award , resigned from another primary school – Chilwell Croft academy, also in Birmingham – after a similar dispute with Muslim and Christian parents.

Dad Abdul Ma, 46, previously said: “This is a brainwash.

"We bring our children here so they can later work as a solicitor or a teacher, not to be taught about being gay or a lesbian.”

Razina Mahmood, 40, added: “This is nothing but indoctrination of our children.

“You are using our children as an experiment.”

Local MP Liam Byrne (Hodge Hill) has been heavily involved in the discussions and the quest for a peaceful resolution to the issue.

Last week he said he was working with faith groups and Stonewall, the LGBT rights campaign group which has produced guidance for schools, to try to end the protests.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who is gay himself, weighed into the issue on Twitter, stating: "The education of our children is a vital part of ensuring that each generation is more tolerant than the last.

"The language used by protestors outside the Parkfield Community School towards the LGBT+ community in recent days is unacceptable.

"Our diversity is a great asset for the West Midlands and we must not let intolerance win out."