Labour debate what's happening on Birmingham schools today

From what I saw on television...

The TV reporting on this has been poor. The TV reports have all tried to frame the parents as homophobic bigots, but their placards said things like 'let children be children', implying that they felt that what their children were being taught wasn't age-appropriate. This seems to be what Roger Godsiff is saying after talking to the parents.

Refusing to discuss with parents when they have concerns about what their children are being taught is poor behaviour from the school.

Mr Afzal sounds a more reliable source than someone's uncle who has decided what his niece or nephew should or shouldn't be taught.

Does he? What about the MP who has talked to the parents and think they have a legitimate grievance?

I am always wary of trusting one single source for information.

It wasn't clear about why there had been a problem at those two particular schools From what I saw on television report at the one school it was all started by an uncle of children at the school. He decided he didn't agree with what his sister's children were being taught and started the protests.

Mr Afzal, former chief prosecutor for the north-west of England, was asked to mediate the matter by the city council and parents.

He said that after meeting with parents over what he thought was a "fixable misunderstanding", he "watched some people on both sides try to hijack the dispute for their own ends".

"I am however most concerned by those manipulating the parents in this matter," he said in a video posted to his website.

"I have seen them walking around with materials and documents which they have pulled off the internet which they wrongly and maliciously say the school is teaching.

"I have examined the curriculum myself and there is no specific LGBT content, no reference to gay sex, none at all - there is reference, as there should be, to equality."

Mr Afzal sounds a more reliable source than someone's uncle who has decided what his niece or nephew should or shouldn't be taught.

Quote from Roger Godsiff, MP. One of the schools is in his constituency.

"In a Westminster Hall debate on 25 February, the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood referred to the fact that parents were complaining that there had been no consultation whatever about how the nine protected characteristics were being imparted to children, and that children, some as young as four or five, were telling parents about what they allegedly had been taught in lessons. That caused the parents considerable concern. At the school in my constituency, a similar situation occurred. There was no consultation with parents. The headteacher made it plain that no consultation was going to take place and no collective meetings with parents were held. She said that she or her deputy would meet individual parents on a “one-to-one” basis to listen to their concerns, but when such meetings took place the same answer was always given—namely, that the school was only carrying out the Equality Act."

there being some reluctance on the part of the schools to meet with the parents and show them the materials being used

If this is true it’s a massive fucking deal. Schools should not hide the teaching materials they’re using from parents. How arrogant

It's here. Mainly talking about LGB relationships being taught about in schools.

hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2019-06-25/debates/8F61FF43-BA5E-401D-A3AD-3B742236F757/ParentalInvolvementInTeachingEqualityAct

It wasn't clear about why there had been a problem at those two particular schools, apart from there being some reluctance on the part of the schools to meet with the parents and show them the materials being used. There was a vague reference to the protests starting after some parents were concerned about things their (very young) children said after these lessons.