The High Court has upheld the dismissal of a Christian teacher who told pupils on the London school where she worked that being LGBT was a sin.
Glawdys Leger also told pupils on the Bishop Justus Church of England School in Bromley that transgender people were “just confused”.
She made the comments during a discussion on LGBT “allyship” with 12 months 7 pupils – around 11 years old. The discussion was a part of a non secular studies lesson.
Ms Leger was suspended in March 2022 and sacked two months later for unprofessional conduct following a grievance by a pupil’s mother. The mother claimed that the comments had been “very distressing” for her child who was “exploring” who they were on the time.
In December 2023, knowledgeable conduct panel (PCP) found that Ms Leger’s actions amounted to unprofessional conduct, although she was not barred from teaching.
Ms Leger brought legal motion against the Department for Education over her dismissal, claiming that the PCP had not put her comments in context, and that publishing the panel’s decision on the Teaching Regulation Agency’s website had been a breach of her privacy.
However her dismissal was ruled lawful by Justice Lang on the High Court last Thursday.
In her written judgment, the judge said: “The [panel] and the secretary of state made a lawful decision that publication of the findings was a justifiable and proportionate sanction for her unacceptable skilled conduct.”
