‘Around 600’ children taken out of school over LGBT lessons

LONDON: The Education Secretary has called for more dialogue between schools and parents after protesters took their children out of school to continue campaigning against the teaching of LGBT lessons.Police attended Anderton Park Primary School in Birmingham on Monday after campaigners claimed around 600 pupils had been taken out of lessons. East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds said children and teachers should not have to walk past protests on their way to school and stressed the importance of children having an “opportunity to find out about and discuss the reality of our society”.The leader of Birmingham City Council has since threatened protesters with a Public Spaces Protection Order to counter the demonstrations. The incident comes after a group who placed placards and banners supporting the school’s stance claimed eggs were thrown at them in an altercation on Sunday night.Speaking to Sky News, Hinds said: “I want schools and parents to be talking about these things. We have come a long way actually and from next year and the year after, we are going to have relationships education as a mandatory subject in primary schools. It’s about 20 years since we updated the guidance on relationships and sex education and a lot has changed in that time.”Addressing the demonstrations, Hinds said: “We live in a society where we have a legal framework that rightly protects different people through society and recognises, celebrates the fact that people are different.“Of course it’s also true that religion itself is a protected characteristic under the equalities legislation but it is important that in school, children are growing up knowing about modern Britain, knowing about the country in which they are going to become adults. There is really good dialogue going on in Birmingham and elsewhere and I want that to continue.”Explaining why the government takes a different stance to parents on the issue, Hinds said: “What we’re doing is we’re making sure all children growing up have an opportunity to find out about and discuss the reality of our society”.

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