A teacher who told a class of year seven pupils that being gay is a sin and transgender people are ‘just confused’ has lost a High Court challenge.
Glawdys Leger also told the class that being LGBT+ was ‘not fine’ and that God should be put before the LGBTQ ideology.
Ms Leger, who is a Christian, made the comments while teaching a religious studies lesson at Bishop Justus Church of England School in Bromley, south London, in February 2022.
She was only caught when one of the pupils in the class told her mum about what was said.
The remarks were recorded by the girl, whose mum told her to write down any ‘transphobic’ comments.
The mum complained to the school and said Ms Leger’s views were ‘very distressing’ for her child as she is ‘exploring who she is – as many children are at this age’.
Ms Leger was suspended in March 2022 and then suspended two months later.
It was found in December 2023 that her actions amounted to unprofessional conduct and she was banned from teaching in future.
But she brought legal action against the Department for Education (DfE) at the High Court against the findings.
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She said her comments were not put into context and it was the school’s duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.
Ms Leger said the outcome of the findings, which was published on the Teaching Regulation Agency’s website, infringed her right to privacy.
She said this would make it ‘difficult, if not impossible, to obtain new employment’.
But this has been dismissed by Mrs Justice Lang who said Ms Leger’s criticisms of the PCP’s finding ‘do not disclose any error of law, as opposed to mere disagreement’.
The published decision will become inaccessible after two years, even to employers, she added.
She said in a written judgement: ‘The PCP and the secretary of state made a lawful decision that publication of the findings was a justifiable and proportionate sanction for her unacceptable professional conduct.’
She concluded: ‘This was indeed a Christian school, but the claimant’s own evidence was that she had been unwilling to support that school’s policy.
‘The result was the nuanced finding that while Ms Leger’s comments lacked respect for the right of others this did not derive from a lack of a tolerance nor had she any intention of causing distress to pupils.
‘That said, her actions were at risk of upsetting pupils in the lesson and her choice not to present a balanced view undermined the school community’s aspiration to provide a supportive environment for children who may be exploring sexual identity.’
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