Andrew Moffat

Andrew teaches at Parkfield Community School near the deprived Bordesley Green area of Birmingham, which is home to a considerable mix of ethnicities and where over nine in ten pupils speak English as an additional language. His “No Outsiders” programme teaches inclusiveness and diversity.

Andrew has extended this ethos to parents through the use of parent/child workshops and he has extended the programme, with schools taking forward “No Outsiders” in many cities across the UK. Andrew now also uses “No Outsiders” as a tool to reduce the potential for radicalization.

Andrew also runs a “Parkfield Ambassadors” after-school club that creates opportunities for children at his school where 99% of students are Muslim to meet others of different races, religions and cultures around Birmingham.

In May 2016 Ofsted awarded the Parkfield School ‘Outstanding’ status, recognizing Andrew’s project as a strength, saying: “The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength and permeates the school’s work. This is an inclusive school that celebrates diversity.”

In November 2017 Andrew was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to equality and diversity in education.

The No Outsiders inclusivity and tolerance message has never been more timely, as Government statistics released in October showed in 2017/18, there were 94,098 hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, an increase of 17% compared with the previous year. This continues the upward trend in recent years with the number of hate crimes recorded by the police having more than doubled since 2012/13 (from 42,255 to 94,098 offences; an increase of 123%). While increases in hate crime over the last five years have been driven by improvements in
crime recording by the police, there has been spikes in hate crime following certain events such as the EU Referendum and the terrorist attacks in 2017.

This is the best job in the world – it really is because you get to be around kids every day. You are learning, you take them from A to B and you are learning with them. I see kids when they’re 4 years old when they’re starting at our school and I see them at 11 years old and I’m part of that life experience. It is an honour to be part of that journey.