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More than 300 demonstrators, many of them Muslim, massed outside Parkfield Community School in Birmingham, with parents claiming they would prefer their children to stop attending school than hear the lessons. School assistant head Andrew Moffat set up the “No Outsiders” classes to teach children about Equality Act and British values. Mr Moffat is currently on the shortlist for a “world’s best teacher” award.

Parkfield Community School parents claim the lessons promote LGBT rights

But families in the predominantly Muslim area say his school lessons on equality are promoting homosexuality. Demonstrators outside Parkfield school - where 98 per cent of the 750 children are from an Islamic background - demanded “Education not indoctrination.” Others clutched banners saying “Respect & be respected” with one child holding a handwritten sign saying “Let kids be kids”. Protestor Mariam Ahmed, speaking on Thursday, said: “What they are teaching is not right, they are too young.

What they are teaching is not right, they are too young. They need to have an ethos which reflects the area. Protestor Mariam Ahmed

“There are nine parts of the Act and they only seem to be focusing on one, homosexuality, and that is wrong. They need to have an ethos which reflects the area. “It's not just because we are Muslims, there are Christians here too. We don't have a vendetta against homosexuals and we respect the Act. “We respect that Mr Moffat is gay and we are happy for him to teach.” Other mums and dad said they would rather leave the UK than have their children continue with the lessons.

They were joined by Christian fundamentalists to protest against the school. Students at the school, which is rated outstanding by Ofsted, have five of Mr Moffat’s No Outsiders’ lessons each year. The classes cover age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. No Outsiders is now taught at dozens of other schools in England.

Assistant head Andrew Moffat set up the “No Outsiders” classes to teach about equality