The primary headteacher attacked for trying to tackle homophobia
The Guardian
The primary headteacher attacked for trying to tackle homophobia
‘A dark and horrible episode’ at a Birmingham school involving a group of parents has led to calls for ministers to openly back schools teaching diversity programmes
Jamie Barry turned up at Welford primary school on 3 October expecting a routine meeting of the twice termly parents’ forum – about 20 mums and dads, there to discuss issues such as the annual community festivals and home-school diaries. Instead, the headteacher found five times that number of parents and one item on the agenda: the Birmingham school’s recent introduction of a range of teaching materials called Chips – Challenging Homophobia in Primary Schools.
Some parents had been supported by Safe at School, a campaign run by the anti-abortion group the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (Spuc), which had emailed them a list of questions and comments to make (see below). “Teaching children about sexual orientation isn’t making them safe,” point 12 says. “It’s putting ideas into children’s heads.”
As the meeting became more heated, a group of around 10 parents came to the fore. Their complaints became, in Barry’s words, “very personal and very aggressive”. Homophobic abuse was directed at the head, alleges Cllr Brigid Jones, Birmingham city council’s cabinet member for children and family services. Eventually, increasingly concerned staff called the police, and Barry was advised to leave the room and wait in his office.
A month later he chooses his words carefully when talking about the incident and keeps his description brief. He wants the school to move on, he says, and refutes reporting that claimed he had been “escorted from the premises for his own safety”. Others are more outspoken: Jones calls it a “dark and horrible episode”. Rob Kelsall, the National Association of Headteachers’ senior regional officer, says he was horrified by what happened....
MORE at http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/nov/11/primary-school-headteacher-attacked-fighting-homophobia
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The hell?