Birmingham LGBT row school 'should always be safe place'

Pupils should "feel happy and safe" when they arrive for lessons, says a governor at a school hit by protests over LGBT teaching.

Safeguarding governor Saidah Sultana said she had seen children "worried" coming through an entrance at Anderton Park Primary School in Birmingham.

Parents had been gathering at the gates over concerns children were "too young" to learn about LGBT relationships.

A court is to decide whether protests can continue outside the school.

High Court judge Mr Justice Warby QC has quashed an original injunction keeping protesters away from the school and imposed a similar order until the trial, which is scheduled to take place at the end of July.

Protests have been taking place for weeks, with parents saying they are concerned the lessons are not "age appropriate" and they contradict Islam.

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The governor said there had been "plenty of talks" to ensure children left school safely.

She stated discussions over accessing the site were focused on making children "feel happy that once they step into school, this is their safe place".

Protests have taken place

Ms Sultana said she had people tell her "I'm not really a Muslim because I'm white".

She stated: "I've been a Muslim for over 20 years. So when remarks are thrown to me like that, really, I don't pay much attention to it."

Head teacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson has been called a paedophile by protesters.

Ms Sultana said it was tough "when they're using quite hard words like 'paedophile' or 'Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson needs to stand down'".

She added: "Sometimes we talk as colleagues or we talk as people who work together, but also on a friendship level as well. It's hard to see people you actually care about and work with go through that daily."