Who is Andrew Moffat – one of three teachers shortlisted for ‘world’s best teacher’ prize?
Moffat works in a 99 per cent Muslim school in Birmingham where he promotes LGBT+ equality
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Your support makes all the difference.In 2014 teacher Andrew Moffat resigned from a primary school in Birmingham after parents complained they did not want their children to “learn that it’s OK to be gay”.
Mr Moffat, who is the author of several books on equality and teaching, and who is gay himself, said parents had objected to the message and he had “met with some challenging views from different sections of the community”.
“It was a very difficult time and I was quite damaged by the experience,” he told The Guardian.
But four years later, now the assistant head teacher at Birmingham’s Parkland Community School, he is one of three British teachers shortlisted for the annual Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, which is now in its fifth year.
An openly gay teacher in the 99 per cent Muslim school, he has continued to work hard to promote equality and understanding and was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to equality and diversity in education.
The school was one at the centre of a scandal over a supposed Islamist conspiracy to take over schools in 2013 known as “Operation Trojan Horse”. This was later debunked, but Ofsted carried out emergency investigations in 21 Birmingham schools.
Under the government’s Prevent strategy, in which schools must report any signs of radicalisation, Parkfield has passed on concerns about some pupils to the police. Mr Moffat’s work has helped make Parkland an award-winning school, fostering openness.
With the backing of the headteacher, Mr Moffat also introduced a “No Outsiders” policy promoting diversity at the 770-pupil school, where over 20 nationalities are represented.
He has previously written about his experiences for The Independent, explaining the scale of the challenge he faces and how he has succeeded in addressing some parents’ concerns and promoting an equal society.
“There are no misconceptions around straight people,” he wrote. “There is no hate because of their sexuality. There is no fear. But there is towards members of the LGBT community, and it needs to be challenged.
“Children go to school to learn, and it’s up to us to make sure that equality is always on the curriculum.”
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