Posted on 2019-06-18 | 02:04

Birmingham MP Roger Godsiff has defended himself after he came under heavy criticism for supporting parents who protested about equality teaching at Anderton Park School.

He came under fire from some fellow Labour MPs after video footage showed him telling protestors “you are right”.

Speaking to Birmingham Live, Mr Godsiff, Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green, said he supported the parents because he did not believe the school had consulted them.

He also felt it was reasonable for parents to want their children to learn about LGBT issues at an appropriate age, agreed between the parents and the school, he said.

Mr Godsiff said he supported the Equality Act. This is a law that states children should be taught before they leave primary school that it is wrong to victimise, discriminate or in any way bully people on the basis of nine so-called “protected characteristics”.

The characteristics are sex, race, age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, and pregnancy or maternity. 

But he said: “I came to the conclusion that whereas 99% of primary school headteachers in Birmingham had addressed the issue of how to engage their children with the Equality Act, and had done it as the legislation and guidance says, in a sensitive way, taking into account age appropriateness and taking into account religious belief - a couple of headteachers in Birmingham had decided no, we are going to do it our way, and to have minimum consultation with the parents.

“And on that basis, I came to the view that the parents were actually right when they said no, we want the right to engagement, we want discussions, as there have been at other schools.”

Parents were not opposed to teaching children about same sex relationships, he said.

“I saw letters that parents have written to the school saying ‘look, I am not against you teaching LGBT. It’s good that my young daughter learns about it’.

“But for goodness sake. Four years of age. Some of them are only just out of nappies.”

Lessons should be “phased in” to ensure they are age-appropriate

Mr Godsiff said the Equality Act, and guidance sent to teachers by the government, made it clear that schools should consult parents about the way these issues were taught, including at what age lessons take place.

It also said schools should take the religious views of parents into account.

Mr Godsiff said he supported Anderton Park School but had encouraged it to “phase in” lessons on the protected characteristics at an appropriate age as agreed with the parents.

“I said, ‘wouldn’t it make sense if you phased in your engagement with the pupils relating to the nine characteristics of the Equality Act?’ This is what Department for Education [guidance] clearly implies.

“So that for example you engage with them over the issue of age, over the issue of disability, which at a very young age kids would quite easily relate to.

“And bring in some of the potentially more sensitive ones for the Muslim community a bit later?”

Other schools haven’t had these problems

He stressed that other schools had dealt with the same issues without protests taking place.

“The fact of the matter is that throughout the whole of Birmingham, headteachers in primary schools are doing the Equality Act and are doing it in a way that has not caused the sort of uproar you had at Anderton Park. I very much support and applaud those headteachers.”

It’s wrong to think only Muslims have concerns

Mr Godsiff said that many Muslim parents did have what might be described as “conservative” views on social issues, but it would be wrong to assume they were unusual.

 “The view that these issues should be taught at the right age is not unusual among white working class parents, or among the African-Caribbean community.

“It’s not just the Muslim community.

“But it’s been portrayed as if it’s just the Muslim community, with their supposedly 'conservative' viewpoints on a number of social issues. That’s not the case.”

Headteachers are placed in a difficult position

Mr Godsiff said he believed the law as it stood placed headteachers in a difficult position, because it spoke about teaching in an “age appropriate” manner but did not explain what this meant, so that heads had to make their own decisions.

 “Where I do agree with the headteachers is that they’ve had this dumped on them. The law is not specific enough.

“It would have been better if the law spelt out what age is the appropriate age for teaching the 9 protected characteristics.

No apology for asking if councillor had children

In the interview, Mr Godsiff also addressed an incident for which he has been widely criticised.

Parents with children at Anderton Park visited him at a surgery where Labour councillor Lou Robson, who represents Hall Green ward, was also present. When Coun Robson defended the school, Mr Godsiff asked whether she had children herself.

Coun Robson told Birmingham Live earlier this week: “I’m sure Mr Godsiff knew the answer to that question before he posed it. We have held a monthly advice surgery together for some months, he knows me well.

“I believe it was designed to undermine, exclude and ridicule me in a very hostile situation.”

Mr Godsiff said: “Councillor Robson told the parents they were professional protestors. Of course, this offended them.

“This prompted me to ask Lou Robson, ‘have you got children?’ I have no idea whether Councillor Robson is married or single nor have I any idea if she has any children. I’ve never discussed the subject with her and never had any reason to.

“My attitude is, if you are going to tell parents how to bring up your kids, it’s not unreasonable to think you should have some sort of experience parenting yourself.

“If you’ve got no experience whatsoever of bringing up kids, it is a bit rich to start lecturing parents on how they should bring up their kids and what they should or should not do.”