Parkfield primary school is an unremarkable redbrick building in the socially deprived Alum Rock area of Birmingham. A decision by the school’s leadership to teach younger children about same-sex relationships has triggered a firestorm of anger. As a BBC correspondent covering the patch, it’s worth reflecting how it started, what happened and to what extent it exposes wider divisions in our society.
Two months ago, a pupil went home and told her mother that her teacher had said it was fine to be a lesbian. The family are Muslim and they believe that homosexuality is a sin. The mother was alarmed and shared her story with fellow parents who are overwhelmingly Muslim.
From this spark, the row over the school’s controversial ‘No Outsiders’ programme escalated. The aim is to teach pupils, some as young as 4, about same-sex couples, diversity, inclusion and other differences in society through a series of brightly coloured cartoon books.
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