Parents urged to stop Birmingham LGBT-row school protests Published duration 3 March 2019

image caption During previous protests, parents tied signs to iron railings outside the primary school

A school at the centre of an LGBT rights teaching row has written to parents to urge them to stop holding "disruptive" and "upsetting" protests.

Parkfield Community school in Alum Rock, Birmingham, has been teaching the No Outsiders programme at the school for four years.

No Outsiders covers the teaching of LGBT rights and homophobia.

However, recently parents have protested and removed children from the school over topics covered.

Parents have said that the programme is "not age-appropriate".

No Outsiders was created by the school's assistant head, Andrew Moffat, with the idea of educating children to accept differences in society

According to his website, the scheme aims to:

Teach children about the Equality Act 2010 and British values

Teach them to be proud of who they are while recognising and celebrating difference and diversity

The school has now said the protests are affecting the well-being of children.

In a letter posted on the school's website it said: "It is essential that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.

"The weekly protests are upsetting for all, disrupt the normal routines of the school and will have an overall effect on the educational achievement and well-being of your children.

"We therefore appeal to you to stop the weekly protests."

It added that, "up to the end of this term, we will not be delivering any No Outsiders lessons" as the half-term has already been "blocked for Religious Education".

media caption "Hundreds" of pupils skip Birmingham school in LGBT row

About 741 pupils aged three to 11 attend the school in the predominantly Muslim area. It was rated "outstanding" by Ofsted in 2016.

Parents claimed 80 per cent of children had been kept home on Friday, although the school would not confirm the number of absent pupils.

image caption About 100 people gathered outside the school for a protest at the start of February